Friends Forever
by AnimationGirl
Summary: After Po enters the warriors' lives, Tigress is trying to deal with the changes. But loneliness and old memories keep haunting her, and things take a turn for the worse when an old friend shows up. Because even though Tigress is overjoyed to see him again, she knows his presence will only cause problems, as he and his family bear an old burden they want to get rid off.
1. Prologue

A/N: So this is my first fanfiction. I'm from Denmark, I only learn English in school, so there will probably be misspellings (please don't hate me for that).

We can't see Kung Fu Panda 2 in Denmark yet, so the story is after the first movie.

Read and enjoy. Please review.

Important: I have redone this chapter, because the first version was bad. Really bad. It is still short (my normally long chapters will first come after chapter 10).

I don't own Kung Fu Panda.

**Friends Forever, Prologue **

It was a dark night, the moon was full, and all the inhabitants of the Valley of Peace were sleeping. The valley was now worthy to its name; everything had been pretty peaceful since Po the Dragon Warrior had defeated Tai Lung.

However, in a forest some days travel from the valley, a wolf was sitting near a campfire. It was the only light in the darkness the night had brought. The wolf's camp was small, only a tent and the campfire. But it was necessary: it was much easier to travel with only few things on your back.

The wolf was nearly impossible to see; his fur had the same color as the night, black. The only visible thing was his green eyes, which were glowing in the darkness.

Suddenly, a figure came out from the trees that had been hiding him. It was another wolf, though with brown fur, and with a large sword hanging from his belt. Beside his sharp fangs and the claws, it was the only weapon he had. And it would be a lie if you said that he wasn't proud of the sword.

The black wolf's ears heard the sound of footsteps, and turned his head towards the sound. When he recognized the wolf, a smile came to his face. "Nice to see you, Mang."

The brown wolf just grunted, not saying a word. His eyes were looking at anything else than the wolf that was waiting him.

"So you're still mad at me?" the black wolf asked after some time with silence.

No answer.

"Come on, Mang. It's not that bad. Nobody knows that we are here. Nobody will find us. Come on."

Mang finally sat down, still not talking. The black wolf followed his example and they both were quiet for a while. Then Mang looked straight into the black wolfs green eyes. "I don't like it, Win. We are getting closer to the Valley of Peace."

"But that's the whole meaning with the mission!" Win exclaimed. "You clearly have a short memory if you have forgotten why we are here already."

"Why you are here," the brown wolf corrected him. He slowly shook his head. "I never wanted to go here anyway."

"Then why doing it?" Win sighed. Why did his brother have to be so complicated?

Mang growled as he remembered why. "Because Mother and Father forced me. They like her just as much as you!"

"Who wouldn't?"

"I wouldn't. I don't like her and you know that. She's just a distraction; why bother visiting her anyway?"

"To see if she's alright," Win answered.

Mang rolled with his eyes angrily. "She's been fine in so long time without you! Why wouldn't she be that now?"

"Because things can happen, Mang!" Win hissed, annoyed by how his brother wouldn't understand.

"Yes, things can happen. Things can happen to the pack! You have a responsibility, Win. And by visiting her you put everyone in danger."

"Come on! Try and be more positive! I can do this! Shifu won't even notice me being there! I swear, Mang, I can do this!" the black wolf exclaimed, but it didn't work.

Mang just shook his head once again. "It is still stupid."

"Okay, Mom and Dad were wrong. You don't have to go with me. I can do it myself! You know that! I'm not a baby!" he tried again. But his brother just wouldn't stop worrying.

"You act like one," Mang mumbled. "And that can cause you troubles."

"Aw, is the big brother afraid of something happening to his little brother?" Win teased.

Mang sent him a dark glance. "Actually, I wouldn't care less if you died while trying to impress some silly girl."

"She's not silly…" Win began, but Mang just continued.

"I just can't see why it is so important to talk with that stupid tiger! I mean, if Shifu sees you, he is going to rip your tail off!" Mang growled angrily, and they both knew that he wasn't kidding about the part with Shifu.

Win, the black wolf, stood up. "But he is not going to see me. And it is important, Mang! Very important! I have to talk with her! You just don't understand! You never have!"

Mang growled again, standing up too to look him in the eyes. "She is just a stupid tiger! She doesn't mean anything! She is just…"

Suddenly, Win jumped on him, pushing him so they both landed on the ground. Mang was now lying under him, and Win forcefully held him down. He snarled, "I'm getting tired of you calling her that because it's a lie! Don't say it again or…"

"Or what?! You won't hurt your own brother! You can't!" Mang mocked him, not even feeling the slightest nervous. After all, he was the strongest. He had just not been prepared for his brother's attack. Though, Mang knew that Win was always defending his friend, no matter what.

Win slowly loosened his grip. It just felt wrong, doing that to his brother. Mang quickly saw the opportunity and got himself up. As soon as he was standing on two legs again, he pushed his brother away by the shoulders.

"Let me tell you one thing, brother! You can go straight into death if that is what you want, but I will return back to the others! Nothing, and I mean nothing, can make me go closer to the Valley of Peace! But if you want, then you can stay there with your little friend. I won't miss you!" he growled, each word harder than the other. Even though Mang was a master of Kung fu, he sure knew how to use his tongue so it hurt.

And Win did look hurt. He loved his big brother, even when he was angry at him. That was what brother did; forgive each other. They had to stick together. They were brothers! But on the same time they were so different from each other.

But no matter what Mang would say, Win would not change his mind. He just needed to talk with her. He had to go. Win just hoped that Mang would forgive him one day. The black wolf didn't like choosing between his brother and his friend, but now it seemed like he didn't had a choice.

This mission was more important than following his brother after all.

"Fine, go back to the others. I promise I will come back soon. I just need to talk with her. Nothing else. Mom and Dad will understand me; just say to them that I will return soon. It won't take that long, especially not when I am alone. Can you do that for me, Mang? Please! I am your brother after all, and I am sure that you owe me a favor."

"I owe you nothing."

"Mang, we have been brothers since, well, since I was born. I must have done something for you just one time. And it's not like it's a big mission. Just try and convince them that I am doing the right thing."

Mang was thinking about his brother's words. He was mad at Win right now, but he was still his brother. And that meant that he had some responsibilities. After some, he took a deep breath. "Okay, I will. But I will keep the tent."

"Fine. You'll probably be needing it more than I would." The black wolf looked around, sighing. "I have to go now. Take care of yourself, Mang," Win said, giving his brother a nod before running into the dark forest, disappearing between the trees.

Mang followed his brother with the eyes until he finally was out of sight. Then he sighed deeply. What was his brother always going something stupid? This was just plain out idiotic. The tiger had finally been out of their lives, and now Win was trying to get her back? Stupid.

Sure, his brother was stupid. But he still was his brother.

Mang was still looking at the silent trees when he said, "Take care, Win."


	2. A Howl In The Night

Authors note: So here is the next chapter. But come on people, I want reviews! Remember that, please! Read, enjoy and REVIEW!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda, only the OC's.

Important: This chapter has been redone, because of grammar and shortness.

**Friends Forever, A Howl In The Night **

_She couldn't breathe. There was water everywhere. Dark water. She couldn't see anything. There was only darkness. She was scared. She wanted to swim, but she couldn't move. She couldn't do anything. She needed help. Now. But… There was nobody! She was alone! Then she started to scream… _

Tigress woke up. Her fur was full of sweat and she was breathing hard. Had somebody heard her scream? Had she even been screaming? Letting out such a scared sound wasn't of course something the tiger warrior would do. But then again; how much control did she have over herself when she was asleep?

The tiger listened after footsteps. But the only noise she could hear was Po's snoring, and that was not something new. Tigress let out a sigh of relief. Everybody was asleep and no one had heard her. The bed must have taken the sound or maybe she had been lucky enough to be soundless.

What a relief. She didn't know what she would have done if one of her friends had found out of this.

Tigress was just tired of these nightmares. They were haunting her almost every night now. And weird enough; it was always the same one. Tigress didn't really understand the dreams. The water shouldn't be scaring her; she had learned how to swim long time ago. So why was she having nightmares about that?

GONG!

The loud noise interrupted her thoughts. The well-known morning bell spoke for itself; it was time to wake up. Another day to face.

"Good morning, Master." All of Master Shifu's students greeted him in front of their rooms. Even Po! The panda had been having a hard time with learning when to wake up. But now he was actually getting better at it.

Then again; it was nearly two months since Tai Lung was defeated. Also the panda's Kung Fu skills were getting better and better each day. Even Tigress had to admit that.

"Good morning, students. Nice to see that you're all awake." Po couldn't hide a smile, knowing that their master was thinking about him. "Today, you're going to train individual."

Tigress' face didn't show any emotions, but inside she was cheering. Sparring was okay, but she liked training alone. Kung Fu was her way to escape from all the problems that were haunting her. It was her way to find peace. And that was something she liked to enjoy alone.

Everything had just changed since Po came. Was she mad at him because he was the Dragon Warrior, and not her? No, he was just getting on her nerves. The way he just took everything so easy was annoying. But still; the others could see that she was starting to warm up.

Even though same harsh words and cold tones could come from her when she was mad, she still cared about her friends with all her heart. And that was including Po.

Yes, he could be annoying, but she still owed him much. She just had to remember that.

* * *

><p>Tigress destroyed another dummy. She couldn't even remember how many she had destroyed under today's training. But on a way, it was relaxing. When she was busy with something, she didn't have time to think about the nightmares. Or anything else.<p>

After some more time with training, Master Shifu walked into the trainings hall.

"That is enough for today. You can rest now." With that he disappeared again. Mantis, Viper, Monkey and Crane gathered around Po.

"Po, can you make your soup again? It is delicious!"

Tigress watched her friends. She sighed and began to walk out of the room. Viper saw her and said with a worry look.

"Aren't you coming, Tigress?"

"I need to meditate. I will come soon." Tigress took her cue and left before they could ask more. The others shared worried glances. Their tiger friend wasn't exactly the most social type, but this way just getting out of control. Something was obviously bothering her, but they just didn't know what it was.

Tigress sat on a big rock outside the palace. She just didn't understand herself. Why couldn't she just smile and be happy? Why was she always cold and angry? Why couldn't she be like the others?

The question was pretty simple; because she wasn't them! She was Tigress, Master of the Tiger style! There was nothing wrong with her! It was just the others there didn't understand! Maybe she just like being alone! Maybe…

Suddenly, Tigress was full of anger. She jumped of the rock, turned around and kicked it as hard that she could. The stone cracked as a symbol of her power. The tiger closed her eyes and tried to calm herself.

Lack of sleep wasn't exactly helping her controlling her anger. If she continued this way, she might make an even bigger mistake. She could end hurting someone. And that was something she couldn't allow to happen.

"Awesome!" a voice sounded.

Tigress immediately turned around and saw Po standing behind her. She sent him an angry glance. When she was in this mood it was best for everyone if they just kept themselves away from her. The panda should really have learned that now. But still, here he was.

"Oh, sorry…" he said quickly. "Didn't mean to disturb you or anything, you know. It's just… Dinner's nearly ready! "The panda was clearly nervous, but who wouldn't be that if they stood in front of an angry tiger? "And I was wondering if you would like to taste the noodles."

"No thanks, Po. I'll just eat my tofu as usually," Tigress said with a tired voice. Dinner was the last of her problems right now.

Po started to back away, sensing the tiger's mood. "Okay, then. The others are already in kitchen, just so you know."

"Fine, just give me a minute and I'll be there."

After her answer the panda quickly disappeared. Tigress just stood there for a while, staring at the red sky.

Everything was so peaceful, so quiet. Like nothing was wrong. Then why did she feel this way?

But suddenly the silence was breaking when Tigress heard a howl. The person who had been uttered it must have been far away, because the howl was low and weak. But with her good ears Tigress could hear it anyways. And even though she hadn't heard that howl in a long time, she could still recognize it.

"Win?" she asked the air, but then shook her head. No, it couldn't be him. He wasn't stupid enough to visit her. It was absolutely crazy.

Tigress shook her head again, thinking that she just had imagined it. He couldn't be here. He must not be here! If someone saw him he would be in trouble. Big trouble!

Why was he, after all these years, here? Had something happened?

But no one could answer those questions. At least not now. If she wanted to spare herself for a headache, she had to believe that she had heard wrong.

And that was what Tigress did. Slowly, she walked away, into the kitchen were the others were waiting for her.

* * *

><p>AN: I'm away all weekend, so I will first update in next week. And again, PLEASE REVIEW!


	3. Unspoken Words

A/N: I know I wrote, that I was gone all weekend, but the plans changed. Surprise! I know Tigress is very cold right now, but don't worry! She will get sweeter! Believe me! Just be patient! Read, enjoy and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda, only the OC's.

Notice; this chapter have been redone because of grammar and spelling-mistakes.

**Friends Forever, Unspoken Words **

Master Shifu was sitting on the palace's roof, enjoying the last of the sun's light. He had been sitting there for a while now. The sun was nearly down and the sky was blood red.

The valley looked peaceful enough, but Shifu was nervous. From here he had seen Tigress' outbursts of anger, and because of that he was worried. She was troubled, no doubt about that, but she was keeping it for herself. Shifu truly wished that he could help her, but he knew that she would not accept his help. She would simply deny anything.

Sometimes the tiger was really hard to figure out. Master Shifu had known her since she was a cub, but still now he had problems with guessing her thoughts. But one thing was sure; Tigress fear was to look weak, and if she accepted help, she somehow thought it was a sign of weakness.

But it was the howl that worried him most. It was long time ago that the wolves was been banished. They hadn't approached the valley since, so why were they doing it now? Was Huei Woo planning to take over the valley?

Shifu clenched his fist, at the thought of the big, gray wolf. Could it be him? He certainly hoped not. Maybe it was just some traveling stranger.

But he couldn't take any chances. The wolves were a big threat and many lives could be in danger if they came. Shifu quickly made his mind; tomorrow he would send the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior out searching for the wolf.

But if it really was Huei Woo… He needed to do something more. His students weren't strong enough to take down Huei Woo. Even though they all were excellent warriors, they wolves would be too much for them to handle.

But Chiao Lo could do it! The leopard had defeated Huei Woo before. He knew nearly everything about the wolf's fight strategies. Yes, Chiao Lo was the person they needed. Shifu decided that he would write a letter to Chiao Lo right now, explaining the situation. He jumped off the roof, rushing towards his room.

* * *

><p>After the dinner, Viper went for a walk with Tigress. When they were out of the boys' earshot, she said, "Tigress, you must tell me was wrong." She was trying to catch the tiger's eyes, but Tigress was avoiding her glance.<p>

She was clearly feeling uncomfortable, but said with an innocent voice, "I don't know what you are talking about."

Of course Viper didn't buy it. "I'm talking about that you're avoiding us, that you're irritable and that you're eating almost nothing. Come on, Tigress. We are all worried about you."

Finally the tiger stopped walking. After some seconds she looked Viper straight into the eyes, but didn't say anything. What should she say? Tigress didn't know.

The snake continued in a softer voice, "Please Tigress. Just tell me what it's bothering you."

Tigress looked away and turned around, starting to walk back to the palace. "A curios snake and her many annoying question," she said flatly. Why couldn't her friend see that she didn't want to talk about it?

Viper smiled, but did not give up. She knew that if she wanted to get something out from the tiger, she had to be patient. Tigress was a complicated person, but she just needed time.

The snake followed Tigress until they stood outside their rooms. "Please, please Tigress. I'm only trying to help you."

Tigress bit her lip. Should she tell about her problems? About the nightmares? About the way she was feeling? About Win? She sighed. Not she couldn't it would be too risky. But still… "I'm just…"

She didn't have the chance to say more before Po, Crane, Mantis and Monkey suddenly tumbled through the door of Po's room. By the way their faces looked it was clear been listening to the girl's conversation.

Viper hissed, "What are you guys doing?!" Sometimes the boys could truly act like fools.

The boys stood up, red in their heads. "We were just… Uhm…" Crane tried to explain.

"We weren't listening, if you thought that!" Mantis gave his try. But Viper just gave them all a glance that spoke for itself.

"Okay, we were listening, but it was an accident!" Everybody looked at Po, while he was saying that. The panda blushed even more. "Okay, it wasn't an accident! We just wanted to know what it's wrong with Tigress." He looked around, confused.

"Hey, where is she?" None of the others had noticed until now. Their tiger friend was missing. But Viper had seen her friend disappearing into her room.

She sadly shook her head. "Come on guys! She was nearly telling me was it's wrong, but thanks to you, she didn't." She gave them another glance. They had totally ruined her chance, and she had to wait a long time for the tiger to warm up again. Just perfect.

Viper sighed. She could just as well give up for tonight. Tigress wasn't going to tell her anything. "Now, follow her example and go to bed." With that she walked into her room, leaving the boys alone in the hall.

After some time with silence Monkey looked at the others and said, "Wow. I thought that Tigress was going to rip our heads off!" They all knew what the tiger could do when she was mad, and nodded in agreement.

The boys followed the girls' example and started going into their room, but before they closed their doors, Mantis said, "Well, let's just say, that we were really lucky!"

"Or maybe she's just waiting to punish us in tomorrow's training."

"Aw man…"

* * *

><p>AN: I know it's a short chapter, but I didn't have more time.


	4. The Mission

A/N: Come on! I'm doing my best! Please review. It will make me happy.

I do own Kung Fu Panda.

Notice: This chapter has been redone because of grammar and spelling mistakes.

**Friends forever, The Mission **

It was the middle of the night. Tigress was sitting on her bed, sweaty and scared. Yes, she was scared. The nightmares had become worse. Not only had she had to deal with the dark, cold water, now there were voices.

They were whispering her name. First slowly, but then more urgently. She could not answer or recognize their calls. It was frustrating. What would they? What did they try to tell her?

The tired tiger closed her eyes. She would do almost everything to get rid of them. How long time was it since she had gotten some good nice sleep? Felt like eternities. Training was getting hard as it was getting harder to stay awake. She was just so tired!

Her eyelids were constantly dropping, but every time she thought she could get some peach, the nightmare proved her wrong. Tigress just wished there was some way to make them disappear.

But first of all she needed to relax. _"Come on Tigress. Breathe in, breathe out." _It didn't work. Of course it didn't. What now? Should she make some warm milk? Didn't you say that the drink could help?

Tigress wasn't complete sure, but she wouldn't risk waking the others. They needed their sleep too.

Suddenly, she knew what to do, and in a second her striped paw was searching along the edge of the bed. It took some time but then she found it. The little, secret opening in the bed.

The hatch was just big enough that she could get her paw in and find the little leather bag. After she did that, she then just stood there in a long time, just staring at the precious thing in her paw. Maybe it wasn't so precious for everybody else, but it certainly was for her.

Finally, she took a deep breath and opened it. It was long time ago since the last time she had taken a look at the things; even longer time since she had gotten them.

She carefully let the thing fall into her paw, making sure not to harm them. The herbs, that were forbidden, were being called witch herbs. But Tigress knew better. She had been taught how to use them for healing of wounds.

Witch herbs was just a stupid name for them; there was no magic bout them. Just simple old herbs. It was only the one called Dragon Tear that was dangerous; it was poisonous and even deathly.

The next thing was a little stone. It doesn't look special at all; it was just gray and smooth like other stones. But it was the memory that did it special. Tigress smiled and squeezed the stone in her paw.

But of all these hidden gifts, the most importing thing she had was the promise. She had got it together with the other stuff. The promise about that said that they would be friends forever.

So far they had kept their promise. Okay, they hadn't seen each other in way too many years, but still… Win had a special place in her heart that could never be taking away from him. She would make sure of that. Win was her friend, and he would be that forever. No matter how long there was between seeing each other again.

After some time, Tigress realized that the things had worked. She had actually forgotten about the nightmares. And that made her feel like she was actually kind of happy.

But she was still tired. Tigress yawned, hid the stuff and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>At the morning Shifu called his students together in front of the palace. They were looking exciting; Shifu only did that, when they were going on a mission. The students sent each other glances; did anybody know what was going on?<p>

Shifu cleared his throat and got their attention. "I am sure that you all have heard of Huei Woo."

But he didn't' had the chance to say more as he was interrupted by Po who burst out, "Huei Woo, the big, gray wolf, leader of the wolf people, who was banished with the other wolves by you, Oogway and Chiao Lo, yes!" Po said it all in one sentence.

Tigress had to keep herself from doing a face-palm, as she heard the panda outburst. Yes, Huei Woo was and exciting, but still dangerous person. There was no reason to act like Po. It was just weird. And a little scary…

Po finally stopped when he saw Shifu's angry face. "Uhm, sorry."

Shifu shook his head and continued, "Now when Po was so kind to remind you all of, who Huei Woo is, I can tell you that last night I heard a wolf howl."

The students began to whisper upset. This was not good. No one had seen the wolves since they had been banished, and if their leader returned it could only mean trouble. What should they do?

Shifu walked in front of Tigress and looked her in the eyes. "I am pretty sure that you also heard it, Tigress. I am actually surprised that you didn't say anything."

Tigress looked down in the ground and muttered, "I thought that I heard wrong. But I should have told you. Please forgive me Master." So he had seen her yesterday. Tigress didn't like that fact. When somebody was looking at her, she would like to know it.

Shifu continued walking while saying, "You are forgiven. But you must trust your senses. They are important in a fight. Where was I?"

Po helped him by saying, "You just said that you heard a howl!"

"Thank you Po. I don't know if it is just a traveller, but I will not take any chances. Your mission today is to check the forest around the valley after any signs of the wolf. If it is Huei Woo, do not attack! Just watch and return to me. I have sent a letter to Chiao Lo; if Huei Woo is in the Valley of Peace, he will come and help us." He looked at his students; they had taken his talk serious and were ready to follow his orders.

Except for Po who was jumping on his spot, while muttering, "Wow, I'm going to see Chia Lo!" Of course he had the right to be excited; Chiao Lo was a great Kung Fu master and none of Shifu's students had met him before. But the Furious Five managed to keep their excitement hidden.

Shifu ignored Po once again and said, "Monkey and Mantis, you're going to the North. Po and Viper, West. Crane, North. Tigress, East."

Following their master's order, the students disappeared quickly.


	5. Yee Tui

A/N So here is one more chapter! And again; Please review! It will make me so happy, that I will hurry up with the next chapters ;)

I do not own Kung Fu Panda

Important notice: this chapter has been redone because of grammar and spelling mistakes.

**Friends Forever, Yee Tui **

Tigress ran through the forest as fast as she could. With an amazing speed she rushed past trees and bushes. It had started to rain long time ago, but it wasn't exactly a big surprise because it was autumn, soon winter.

The tiger filled her nostrils with the smell of leaves. She then took a breath and ran even faster. Tigress actually knew that she was in no hurry, but she simply liked to run. She liked the feeling of the excitement that came along with her running, while the fatigue slowly came. And with her training, she could run in hours.

The rain and the wind were cold, and when she was nearing the mountains, it became colder. She had not seen any signs after the intruder, but honestly, she had not been searching so much until now.

Tigress knew that no wolf would set up a camp close to the valley. They would easily be caught if they did that. No, if there were any wolves, they would be at the mountains.

But unlike Shifu, she was not worried; she was confused. Her master had confirmed that there had been a howl, and Tigress was pretty sure that it had belonged to Win. She had heard him howl many times before, and could easily recognize his howl.

But why was he here? Tigress stopped and looked around. The forest near the mountains was looking untouched; it was like the time was frozen.

"_Why can't everything be like this?"_ Tigress thought while closing her eyes, just enjoying the place. Then a breeze ran through the trees. The tiger's ears picked up the sound. It was liked the trees were whispering her name. _"Tigress… Tigress…" _

Tigress started to shake as she remembered her nightmare. But she quickly pulled herself together; she couldn't act like this. She was a Kung Fu warrior and no a little scared child.

She quickly resumed her searching, while escaping from the place. It was making her feel uncomfortable anyway.

The tiger ran in long time without even thinking of her mission. But when she heard a roar from the river, she gave her leg a rest.

She sat on a cliff, felling the butterflies in her stomach at the sight of the river. It was called Yee Tui and Tigress knew it very well. When the memories came, she didn't even try to stop them.

* * *

><p>…<em>Little Tigress ran through the forest. Her small paws were hurting and she was hungry, thirsty and tired. <em>

_She was very young; it was only a few months ago that Shifu adopted her from Bao Gu Orphanage. Tears were running down on her striped cheeks, but she didn't even notice. She desperately tried not to sob, tried not to think about what she had done. Or more exactly; what she was doing right now_.

_She was running away from the palace, away from Shifu. _

_When he had adopted her, she had thought that he would be her father. Just at least some kind of father figure. _

_But she should have kicked herself! How could she have been so stupid? Of course nobody wanted her. She was Tigress the Monster! Maybe she had learned to control her strength, but she would always be a monster. She could not escape her past. _

_No matter how hard she tried I would always haunt her. _

_He did not want her. That was obvious. He did not talk to her, unless when he came with corrections to her Kung Fu. She did her best to impress him, but his eyes were always cold when he looked at her. _

_Of course she had heard of Tai Lung and she truly felt sorry for Shifu. _

_But she was not Tai Lung! And she would never be like him! Never! _

_But she could not be in the palace more. She was running away from the first home she ever had! But it was the best. Both for Shifu and for her. _

_He did not want her and she would not be a burden. He wouldn't miss her, but honestly she will miss him. And Oogway. The old turtle was the only one that had shown concern for her. _

_A sob escaped her throat. Thinking of hem just hurt. It was two days ago that she ran away. _

_The first day she had run for so long she could, and the second day she had been hiding in a hidden cave. _

_But this morning she had continued her run. She had only eaten some apples and now her stomach was rumbling. But the thirst was the worst. Her throat was dry and she feared that she soon would faint. _

_But then she saw Yee Tui. _

_The river was wild; the waves were beating against the cliff side. The sight was terrifying, but the thirst forced the little tiger to come closer. _

_After some seconds of hesitating, Tigress was standing at the edge of the cliff. Her feet were getting wet when the water splashed. _

_She let her claws get as good grip on the stones as they could, then she lied down and took a drink. The water was a relief and her throat finally stopped screaming. When she was done, she tried to get up, but then her paw slid on a wet rock. _

_Before Tigress could relax, Yee Tui had dragged her down, squeezing the air out of her. The little tiger tried to get to the surface, but the water slung her around and soon she didn't know what was up and what was down. She was out of air and black spots were covering her vision. _

_Why had she even run away? She should have stayed at the Jade Palace. Maybe things would have gotten better. Maybe Shifu would have loosened up a bit. Maybe she would have gotten better at Kung Fu. Just maybe… _

_Her blurred mind gave up. She was tired, so tired. Closing her eyes for a minute would be great… _

_Suddenly she was pulled out of the water. With a hard grip on her arm, she was laid on the cold ground. Something hard was pressing the water out of her lungs, forcing her to breathe again. _

_Tigress' eyes tried to focus on her rescuer, but everything was just blurred. Finally, after blinking many times, things started to form. In front of her was a brown wolf. He was looking angry, so she began to feel nervous. _

_One thing was being around strangers, another thing was being around angry strangers. _

_But then the brown wolf was pushed away. Instead there was a black wolf, about her age, maybe a little older. His face broke into a big smile while he asked, "Who are you?" _

* * *

><p>Tigress was pulled out of her memories when she heard something. The sound of a branch that broke. She stood up in her fighting position, ready to take down the enemy.<p>

She waited in a long time, but nothing happened. Slowly, she walked to the place where she had heard the sound. Was it just Po spying on her again?

No, he was far away. Tigress suddenly realized that she was holding her breath. Why was she so nervous? She could handle an enemy. She knew that.

Without hesitating, she flapped the tall bushed away. There was nobody.

She was filled with relief. She had been so nervous about nothing? Waste of claws!

But then suddenly, she was thrown down to the ground.


	6. Reunion

A/N: Yay, my last note worked. I know this chapter is short, but it is this or nothing. Just so you know it, I will not update in some days, 'cause I am in a play, that have premiere on Monday, so I have to practice all weekend.

I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

Important notice: This chapter has been redone because of grammar and spelling mistakes.

**Friends Forever, Reunion **

Tigress looked into two green, familiar eyes. She recognized them immediately. And in a second she had started to laugh, something that she hasn't done in a long time.

"Win, you big idiot! What are you doing?"

The black wolf was sitting on her stomach, pushing her to the ground without hurting her. His face was one big smile. He helped her up, while he chuckled, "I just wanted to see if I still could sneak up on you. But I can see that you still are easy to trick."

He was teasing her, but in a friendly way. And Tigress was surprisingly not angry. Though, if it had been someone other than Win, she would have been furious. She teased back, "And you are still annoyingly fast. But seriously, Win, was it really necessary? You could have just said hello like a normal person."

"Oh, but I am not normal, am I?" Win smiled brightly. "And rumors say that you aren't normal either. The great Master Tigress, stronger than any person ever seen. Leader of the Furious Five, more scary than you can imagine! If she's angry then you are dead!"

"And that's the reason why people don't sneak up on me for fun, Win!" Tigress said sternly. "But else than that I would say the rumors aren't true. I am strong, but those rumors are just too much. And where did you hear them anyway?"

"Does it matter? Win stood a little away from her, looking down in the ground. He said softly, "You know that I am not afraid of you. I have never been."

Against her will, Tigress' eyes were filled with tears. Why could this wolf keep doing this to her? This person could make her cry, when nothing else could. But he just brought up too many memories. As many times before, she promised herself she wouldn't cry over it any more.

Tigress ran towards him and hugged him. Even though this movement wasn't what you would have expected from the tiger warrior, Tigress didn't feel completely stupid. Win deserved this hug. And as long as nobody could see them…

She laid her head on his chest and whispered, "I have missed you so much. And it hurts every time."

He pulled her closer to him. "I know, but it cannot be different. But no matter what, you will always be my best friend."

He shoved her gently away from himself, looking closely at her. "You have grown. A lot. You look nothing like the little, nervous tiger you were the first time we met. But it was also about, hmm, twenty years ago I think."

Tigress smiled. She knew she wasn't the only one that had changed. "And what about you? You have become taller than me. And you look like you haven't forgotten about your training. Maybe you would care to fight me? I think it would be rather interesting. I… Win, what happened to your pants?"

They both looked down. The black wolf's pants were dirty and full of holes. They sure needed to be patched. No, actually he needed some new pants. It would be a waste of time to try and repair them.

The long, black fur on his chest was full of leaves and dirt. A bath sure would not hurt him. He looked like one that had been running for days.

Win simply shrugged and said, "I know. I should have washed me before our reunion. But I have been traveling in a week and Mang kept the tent and…"

"Wait!" Tigress said sternly, cutting him off. "Is Mang here?!" It was not a secret that Tigress had never really liked the brother. He had been rude towards her, not exactly giving the best start for a friendship.

So you couldn't really blame Tigress for it. Mang had never hidden his disgust for her anyway, so he was also one to blame. But no one had ever really commented it; both Mang and Tigress seemed fine with hating each other.

Tigress wondered how two brothers could be so different. Win was nice and always ready to help, while Mang would laugh if she got hurt.

Win tried to comfort her. "Don't worry. He is not here. Or more exactly; he is with the others on the other side of the mountains."

Tigress widened her eyes. Please say he was wrong. This was the last thing she needed right now. "The others? What do you mean 'the others'? And what exactly are they doing here? What are you doing here? We both know that none of you should be so close to the valley."

Suddenly, Win became unsure. He was happy to see her again and he would not destroy the moment. And as he looked into Tigress' eyes, the choice just became even harder. Tigress was innocent in all this. They all knew that. But she trusted him so much, and because of that he would not let her down.

But should he be honest and tell her the reason?

"We are just out on a quest. And when we were near the valley, I just had to see you again. I have not seen you in eight years. The others stayed in the camp because they were afraid of Shifu."

"And you are not? Win, we both know that this is just wrong! If he sees you…"

"He will rip my tail of. I know. But I am not afraid for Shifu and I will do anything for you." Win sent her a charming smile.

"Please stop that smiling. This is not the time for it."

"Oh come on! Finally we see each other again, and you say that it isn't the time for smiling?"

Tigress just glared at him. "You should not be here."

"But I am! And what are you going to do about it?" he asked teasingly, while relaxing against a tree.

"Win, if you get caught, I swear I am going to kill you!"

"Calm down, you little, aggressive tiger. I am just happy to see you again. And if you want a fight, I will be the winner. My kung fu is even better than last time!"

Tigress took the challenge with a smile. "Bring it on," she said while taking her fighting stance.

Win did the same.

They were just about to start, when they heard the call.

"Tigress?!"


	7. Blood, Rain And Tears

A/N: Sorry about the late update, but I am gone every evening with the play. But I just got holiday from the school, so I hope that will solve the update-problem.

I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

Important notice: this chapter has been redone because of grammar and spelling mistakes.

**Friends Forever, Blood, rain and tears **

"Tigress?" Crane flew over the once-so-quietly forest. It was nearly sundown and the darkness was coming fast. He had find her before the night hid her completely. He muttered, "Come on Tigress. Where are you?"

He was tired; he had searched almost the whole day, and his wings felt heavy. The other four had been easy to find, but Tigress was nowhere to see. If he didn't find her, then Master Shifu would be completely mad. If Tigress went missing…

It was actually quite annoying; every time Tigress' friends were trying to take a break from the training and have some fun, she was there with irritable glances. But now when he needed to find her, she was just gone. Pretty frustratingly.

Suddenly, he became nervous. What if she had found Huei Woo? That would be a big problem. Shifu had said that they were not allowed to attack, but Tigress was not exactly the most peaceful type. What if she had tried to take down Huei Woo alone? And what if she had lost the fight?

Crane knew that the wolf was stronger than any of them. What if Tigress had been captured? Full of worry for his friend, he continued calling her name. "Tigress!"

It would be so typical of her if she had gotten after Huei Woo. The tiger was determined to take everything dangerous out on her own to protect her friends. But they could help her. If she just allowed them to do it.

It was getting colder and it was raining more. Crane was considering flying back to the palace. It would not make him so much more tired; it was to search for a tiger in a big area that was tiring. Shifu would know what to do. He could help Tigress.

But Crane refused to let his friend down. He decided not to fly back to his master. The feline had to be there somewhere! "Come on Crane. You can do it. Just a little further. "

How many hours had he been flying now? But the bird had lost the track of time long time ago.

As a comfort, he tried to imagine that he was inside, near a warm fireplace. Then Crane widened his eyes. How good was he at imagining? Because, was it just him or was there really a fire in the forest? In the rain? Impossible! But he could see the orange flames. Wait! It was not flames! There was no fire! It was a tiger. Actually, it was exactly the tiger Crane was looking for.

"Tigress?" She was standing on a cliff near a river that Crane guessed was Yee Tui. He flew down and landed beside her. Crane took a look at his friend; she was dripping wet and her paws were muddy. But else than that she was fine. Of course she was. He had just been overreacting!

Tigress' face showed a mixture of relief and fatigue when she said, "Crane, what are you doing here?"

"Shifu sent me. He had canceled the searching. You must return to the palace. They others are already there, they are probably waiting for us. What were you doing anyway? I have been calling your name the last hours!"

"I apologized. I couldn't hear you." As she took another glance at her friend, Tigress could see that Crane was tired. "Can you manage fly back?"

Crane moved his feet. "Sure, it would not take so much time flying. What about you?"

The tiger shrugged. "It will take me some time, but I will be fine."

Crane shook the water of his feathers, before he started to fly. "I will tell them that you are coming soon. See you at the palace, Tigress."

Tigress looked at the sky until her friend disappeared into the dark clouds. She then walked into the forest, while she said, "He is gone. You can come out now, Win."

The black wolf came out from his hiding place; a big bush with tick foliage. His already dirty fur was now even more dirty and full of leaves and branches. He tried to brush it off, but gave up.

He muttered angry, "Couldn't you have found a less sticking bush to hide me in?"

Tigress rolled her eyes. "Just shut up and be happy that he didn't find you. And when did you get so upset about your look?"

"What now? Do you have any secret rooms in the palace, 'cause I am not jumping into this bush again?!"

"You actually have a point there. No one must see you! Understand? If they do we will get so much trouble. And that is the last thing I need right now." Tigress rubbed her nose bridge. "You need a hiding place. A better one than that bush. And I think I know the right place…"

They walked in long time in totally silence. Except for the sound of raindrops hitting the ground. The tiger and the wolf were extremely exhausted. They had both been running almost the whole day, so now they were walking to save energy.

Finally they reach their target; a hidden cave. Actually it was the same cave that Tigress had hid herself in many years ago, when she had been running away from the Jade Palace.

"Here you go. This is your new home. At least to you will leave again. Don't worry, no one will find you here. I guarantee that." Tigress smiled a little bit while she was saying that. She knew that she was the only one that knew that the cave existed. Or she had been the only one. Now Win also knew about it.

"I think that I will survive living here. It cannot be worse than the bush," Win said while he explored the cave.

Tigress continued standing outside. She could hear Win's voice from the darkness, "But it needs to be cleaned up. I can't sleep in rotten plants!"

Tigress snorted. "You have to do that alone. I need to get back to the palace quickly; they are waiting for me and they must not get suspicious."

Win came finally out. "Okay, but you will visit me tomorrow, right?"

Tigress did not look at him while she said, "Right, but I don't know when. It must be when Shifu and they others won't notice it. Maybe it will first be at the night."

"Yes, yes. Just come." He took a step towards her, while he stretched out his arms for a hug. After hesitating some seconds, Tigress could not resist and hugged him tight, while she whispered, "Goodbye."

Before she turned away, Win took a grip on her wrist. "Not 'goodbye'. It is 'see you later'. Don't say goodbye, unless you know that we won't see each other again."

Tigress could only nod. She was speechless. She started to run, before he could say any more.

Her running became faster and faster. The same with her breath. She was gasping for air, but not because she was running, but because it was getting harder to breathe. Her throat was hurting.

Tears started to fill her vision, but Tigress blinked them away. She wouldn't cry. Tigress knew that she should be happy for her friend to be back, but still… Win was now in great danger, and it was all her fault.

Ignoring her surroundings, Tigress just ran straight forward, through bushes and tall grass. Branches and thorns tore her clothes and fur, leaving small scratches on her body.

* * *

><p>Crane, Viper, Monkey, Mantis and Po were sitting around the table. Crane was resting his exhausted wings, while they others were trying to keep their mind from something else than Tigress.<p>

Though they knew that she had not meet Huei Woo, but running alone in rain was not a fun thing to do. So of course they were relieved, when Tigress slammed the door open. But the relief disappeared when they saw her bloody fur.

"Tigress! Are you alright?" Viper was already investigated her friends wounds.

"I'm fine Viper. It is just some scratches." Tigress answered flatly, but her friends ignored her.

"Hmm, they are not deep, but you should clean them. Just to avoid that they will become infected," Mantis said. "How do you get them?"

Tigress shrugged. "Just some bushed got in my way. Nothing serious." She took a glance around the room. Someone was missing.

"Where is Master Shifu?"

"In his room. He has been there since we arrived," Po said. "Why do you ask?" Before Tigress could answer, Master Shifu walked into the room.

"Students, I have an announcement. I… What had happened to you Tigress?"

Again before she could answer, Monkey interrupted, "Tigress got attacked by a bush." He broke into laughter, but stopped when Tigress growled at him.

Shifu shook his head. "Anyway, I have just received another message from Chiao Lo. He writes that he is coming to the Valley of Peace."

Tigress had to keep herself from cursing. If Chiao Lo was coming, then she and Win was finished.

Just great.


	8. Fever

A/N: Thanks to everyone who had review. It makes me very happy. I will try and hurry up with my chapters.

I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

Important notice: this chapter has been redone because of grammar and spelling mistakes.

**Friends Forever, Fever **

_Chiao Lo… coming to the Valley of Peace… not good… not good… Not good!_

Tigress growled in frustration. She was feeling like her head was going to explode. Why did this happen to her?

First there was a big, fat panda, falling down from the sky, taken her title as the Dragon Warrior. Okay, the big, fat panda had actually managed to beat Tai Lung and proved that he was the Dragon Warrior. I guess she hadn't been the only one that hadn't thought that it was possible.

But now the panda was living here. Yes, he was pretty annoying, but it was also getting better. Either was he getting less annoying, or maybe it was just her getting more soft. Maybe… No matter what, thing were actually getting better, and that was of course a good thing.

Then she was haunted by nightmares every night. They were now scaring her, no annoying her so much, that the long nights seemed everything but pleasant to her. With the lack of sleep, it was no wonder that she was so irritable.

Her mood had not been calm in a while. She was often aggressive and was hitting everything near her. And now when Win had come, she could go from extremely happy to sad on one minute. And then she would be angry once again.

She was of course happy to see Win again, but how could he be so stupid?! Wolves were banished from the Valley of Peace. He knew what! If Win got caught he would probably be sent to a prison. Or worse!

And now when Chiao Lo was coming…

Tigress began to shake all over her body. She had heard things about the leopard. Bad things. That he was cruel and merciless. That he had killed many wolves, and instead of a life in prison the wolves had gotten a slow and painful death. According to the rumors she had heard, some of them had been tortured so that Chiao Lo could find out where the other wolves were hidden.

Chiao Lo was almost obsessed catching and killing wolves. Tigress could not understand the murderous leopard. Why did he hate wolves so much? Why was he allowed to do those horrible things? Why did everyone hate the wolves?

She had grown up with the lies, but she had seen the truth. But if nobody else believed it… Tigress promised herself that she wouldn't let anything bad happen to Win.

Tigress was so deep in her thoughts, that it cost her strength to pull herself back to reality. She found out that she was in her room, lying on her bed in her night clothes and that her fur was clean and a little wet. She must have taken a bath, but she could not remember doing it. She could not remember that she had left the dining room or that she had gone to bed. It was like her sense of time had stopped, when Shifu had told them about the letter.

_Chiao Lo… coming to the Valley of Peace… _It was as the words had been burned into her brain. And when she thought about these words… The tiger was biting her lip so hard that it began to bleed. The taste of blood made her feel sick. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Why did this take-a-deep-breath-thing never work?

"_Come on, Tigress. What did Master Shifu said else than Chiao Lo was coming?"_ Tigress tried to force herself to think back, ignoring the headache. She was pretty sure that Shifu had told them that Chiao Lo would come in three days.

And he was coming because…Because… Because he had considered the wolves-situation again and that he thought that it was his responsibility to protect the valley against the wolves.

The headache was now so painful that it was making her dizzy.

Tigress stopped trying to remember, and tried to fall asleep. She wished that her bed was softer, because her body ached. She wished that she had a blanket, because she was freezing. She wished that Win was there, because she was feeling lonely.

The tiger could feel that her cheeks were burning, a sign of fever. Just great! Now she was getting sick! What else could go wrong?

Tigress fell, little by little, into a state between awake and sleeping. When she heard the morning gong she didn't even had the strength to stand up. She just lay on her bed, waiting for the others to find her. Even though she knew that it was going to feel humiliating, she didn't do anything. It didn't really feel like she had a choice.

It did not take long time before she heard Master Shifu knocking on the door to her room. "Tigress, are you all right in there?"

Tigress tried to answer properly, but her teeth were chattering and voice shaking too much. She stammered, "M… Master."

She heard her door being opened and felt her master's worried glance on her shivering body. "Po, could you please get some blankets?" Shifu's voice was calm and close to her ear.

Tigress could feel something cold stroking her forehead. The cold made her body squirm. Even though she knew who it was, Tigress opened her eyes, looking straight into Viper's green eyes.

"Are you okay? Are you in pain?" Tigress was not in mood to answer question, but she had to calm her worried friend.

"It just same fever, Viper," the freezing tiger managed to get out. "Nothing serious." Tigress knew that her snake friend easily could overreact when it came to her friends' wellbeing. But this was just a little sickness, nothing bug. Just some rest and she would be fine.

Viper turned her attention to her master, "What is wrong with her, Master Shifu?"

"Fever. She had probably got flu from running out in the rain yesterday. She just need to rest and some blankets to keep her warm. I think that she will be fine tomorrow."

Tigress could sense that a new person entered her room. "Master Shifu, Master Shifu! I got the blankets as you asked me for." Po was looking down at her, concern in his eyes. "Wow, Tigress you don't look good."

"I believe that's a part of being sick, Po," Tigress answered calmly. "I'll be better tomorrow."

The panda held the blankets towards their master, but the red panda held up a paw. "Thank you, Po. I will leave it to you and Viper to make Tigress comfortable. When you are done, meet me and they others in the training hall."

The red panda sent Tigress a last glance, and then he turned around and left the room. Po and Viper just stood there in some time, unsure of what to do. It didn't happen often that Tigress was sick, and helping her with something like this just wasn't a normal thing.

Tigress was not happy about the situation either and tried to sit up. Her arms shook a little, but else it went fine. How she hated when her body was weak. But right now there wasn't really anything else to do than to receive some help.

Working together, Viper and Po, along with Tigress herself, managed to get some blankets around the sick tiger's body. Tigress visible relaxed more, but she was still freezing a little bit. Felling the lack of sleep, she blinked tiredly and yawned.

"Do you need anything else, Tigress?" Viper putted the blankets a little tighter around her friend.

Po gave his try, "I could make some soup for you! Or rice if you want that!" Tigress shook her head.

"Just some water, thanks. I am not that hungry." Now, she could actually talk without stammering. Po disappeared to get the water, and now the girls were alone in the room.

"Do you want me to stay and keep you company?" Viper asked her friend.

"No, you and Po should train. I will be fine. I just need some sleep anyways." Tigress yawned again, proving that she was right.

"Okay, but I will check up on you sometimes."

Viper stood in the doorway when Po came. He had a cup of water in his hand. "I'll just put it beside your bed."

There was no answer from Tigress; she was halfway asleep. Viper and Po closed the door slowly and quietly, leaving the tiger to herself.


	9. Names

A/N: Thanks for the wonderful reviews! Continue that and I will continue my story.

I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

Important notice: this chapter has been redone because of grammar and spelling mistakes.

**Friends Forever, Names **

Tigress slept the rest of the day. Or at least, that was she pretended to do. Tigress had found out that if her friends thought that she was sleeping, they would quickly leave her room.

On that way, Tigress could avoid the annoying questions like "How are you feeling?", "Can I do anything for you?" or Po's really annoying "Do you want me to make some soup?" He did actually ask her four times, before she found her sleeping technique. Wow… He is really serious about his soup.

She wanted rest, not an interview about her health. Tigress understood her friends' worry, but still, this was nothing big. By tomorrow she would be up again, training along with them.

Tigress hated to be sick. She hated not to be able to train. She hated feeling helpless.

And right now she was lying in her bed, covered in blankets. Not exactly the best day of her life. She did not need her friends' concern. She had admitted it; she was sick! No need to put salt in the wound.

She could handle herself. She had always done that. Maybe except for the time with the wolves. Tigress thought back. She had also been sick that time…

* * *

><p>…<em>Tigress looked into the green eyes. She opened her mouth, but then closed it again. Could she trust him? <em>

_She had to admit that he seemed much nicer than the other wolf. The other one was still glaring daggers at her. But they had saved her life. And why had they done that? _

_They were wolves! Wolves were dangerous, everyone knew that! Wolves were murderous, dirty, mendacious… Wolves were monsters! But… People had also called her a monster… _

_Win looked at the little tiger. She looked pretty fun. Her eyes were wide open and she was biting her lip. She looked nervous and… and scared. Oh, not so good. He had to calm her. But how? _

"_I am Win", he said, while pointing at himself. He then heard a small cough. How could he forget? "And this is Mang. He is my big brother. So now you know our names. What is yours?" _

_He looked curiously at the tiger. Why was she here? And who was she? And why as it that she had ended up in Yee Tui? Win smiled at her, hoping that it would make her feel calmer. _

"_Tigress. My name is Tigress," she said with a low voice while looking at the ground. _

"_Tigress. That's a funny name." Win regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth. Now the tiger finally spoke, and then he made fun of her name. That was not polite. Not at all. _

_He was about to say sorry, but Tigress came first. "You should not talk! Your name is Win! That is much more fun than Tigress!" _

_Win was surprised. The little tiger did not look angry, but she looked playful and stubborn. Very stubborn. The wolf gave back, "Tigress is not even a name! It's what you are! A tigress!" _

"_Win is not a name either! It is something that you can do! Win is the opposite of to lose!" _

_They looked at each other straight in the eyes, before they started to laugh. They just couldn't take it serious. Even Tigress laughed! She completely forgot why she was here, which was a nice thing. _

_Win was still chuckling when he said, "Why in the world do we let our parents name us?" _

_Tigress stopped laughing. She sat on her ground with her arms around her knees. She stared at the ground while saying, "I don't know." But her voice wasn't playful anymore. "I don't have any parents." _

"_Oh." Win sat down beside her, looking at her with deep eyes. "I am sorry." _

"_Don't be. I can handle myself." _

_They sat there for a while, until Mang suddenly spoke. He had been so quiet, that Tigress and Win had forgotten that he was there. "If you two lovebirds are finished; it is time to go home." _

_Tigress looked confused. Home? Then she remembered that she was running away. She shook her head. "I don't have any home" Tigress said with a sad voice. _

_But Mang just growled at her. "Liar. I know who you are. You are the little orphan that lives in the Jade Palace. You are Shifu's student." _

_Both Tigress and Win froze. Tigress, because she had not expected that they knew who she was and because she had never heard anyone, except Master Oogway, call __Master __Shifu for Shifu. Win, because he had never imagined that she was wolves' enemy's student. _

_Tigress pulled herself together and said, "It's true that Master Shifu adopted me and I did use to live in the Jade Palace, but I am running away." _

_Mang growled again, "Why?" _

"_None of your business." _

_Win took a step forward and asked his brother, "Mang, can she stay with us?" _

_Mang dropped his jaw. "What?" _

_Win repeated, "Can she stay with us? I am sure that Mom and Dad will like her." _

"_And what about Huei Woo? Do you think that he will like her?" Mang pointed at Tigress, who froze when she heard the name of the feared wolf. She knew that Master Shifu and Chiao Lo had fought against the gray wolf. And that Shifu and Chiao Lo had won. Master Shifu had told her that story many times. _

_Win took one more step forward so he stood between Mang and Tigress, protecting her from his brother's anger. "Yes, I actually think." _

_Mang snorted. "You are nothing more but a stupid puppy. Do you really think that Huei Woo will welcome a little tiger, who is the student of the stupid, red panda who helped Chiao Lo to banish us?" _

"_She hasn't done anything wrong, Mang. Can't we just take her with home and let Huei Woo take the decision?" _

_Mang turned his attention to Tigress. "Is there any searching team after you?" _

_Tigress shook her head. "No, I don't think so." _

"_How long ago is it since you ran away?" _

"_Two days, I think. Maybe two days and a half. I sneaked out when it was night and then I just ran east. But then I got hungry and thirsty and I saw the river and I fall in and…" _

_Win interrupted her by saying, "You mean Yee Tui? If you went east from the palace you must have been near the mountains… Wow, the river has led you far away before we pulled you up. We are far away from the east-mountains." _

_Tigress shrugged. "I don't care where I am, just it's far away from the palace." _

_Win broke into a smile and turned to his brother. "Then it is perfect. We will take her to the village. After all, we saved her life so we have the responsibility for her." _

_Mang gave up. "Fine, but I will not be responsible for her. You can do it if you want. But now we need to hurry up; we have wasted too much time here and they others are waiting for us." _

_He started to walk, followed by the two others. But after some time Tigress began to feel how weak her body really was. After all, she had been running in a long time, she had eaten almost nothing for two days and she had nearly drowned. _

_And she was just a little cub. A strong and stubborn cub, but still a cub. _

_Win got a shock when she fainted. He knelt down beside her. "Tigress? Tigress?" Everything was black for the little tiger. She could not move or talk. But she could hear. _

_First there was Mang' voice saying, "She just passed out. She will be fine." _

"_You have to carry her, Mang!" Win voice sounded. _

"_What? Why me?" Mang's voice was angry and irritated. _

"_Because I'm not strong enough and we agreed that she should come with us." _

_The last thing Tigress heard before all her senses went out was a cold "Fine"… _

* * *

><p>Tigress smiled at the memories. Things had changed so much since that time. She sighed deeply.<p>

Suddenly, Tigress could hear steps outside her room. She closed her eyes and pretended to asleep. The steps stopped outside her room. Someone opened her door and… Nothing. No sound of footsteps approaching her or someone that closed her door.

Tigress became too curious and opened one eye. In the doorway stood…

"Win!"

* * *

><p>AN: It was so fun to write the Tigress and Win name-thing, because, well, I have a pretty weird name! I don't tell you what it is! But it's an old Danish name. Very old. And as Win so wisely asked; why in the world do we let our parents name us?


	10. Decisions

A/N: I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

Important notice; this chapter has been redone because of grammar and spelling mistakes.

**Friends Forever, Decisions **

"Shhh!" Win held his finger up in front of his mouth, signaling her to be silent.

Tigress understood and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Win, what are you doing here? The others will find you!"

Win rolled his eyes. "Tigress, they are sleeping."

Tigress was confused. "Sleeping?"

"It's over midnight. Of course they are sleeping."

"Really?" Tigress didn't remember an evening. "I must have fallen asleep." But the tiger knew that Win was right. If she listened closely, she could hear Po's snoring.

Win was still standing in the doorway. "Uhm, can I come in?"

Tigress smirked slightly. "Sure. Why do you ask?"

Win shrugged. "It is not very polite to burst into a girl's room in the middle of the night." He carefully closed the door and walked towards her bed.

"There is something about that. What would Master Shifu think, if he knew that I had a guy in my room? And that this guy was a wolf. He would get a heart attack."

"That is why he will not know about it." He glanced at her with a curious look in his eyes. He then noticed the blankets and her tired face. "You are sick." Against her will, Tigress' body started to shiver. Win saw it immediately. "And you are freezing."

"Fever. Maybe flu. I will soon be fine."

Win took a decision and moved Tigress and her blankets on the one side of the bed. He put himself on the other side and pulled her close to him.

Tigress blushed ever so slightly, but then got an angry expression on her face. "Win! What are you doing?!"

"I am keeping you warm."

Tigress was shocked. "But… But you…"

"I am your friend who keeps you from being more ill. Relax Tigress; I am not going to hurt you."

No matter how much Tigress was against it, she ended up enjoying the warmth. She snuggled closer to him and finally fell asleep.

Win looked at his friend. He had not seen her in so many years, so he would save everything about her in his memory. Her rhythmic breathing, her smell, her fur and stripes pattern. The blankets hid her whole body, except her face.

He felt bad about that she was sick. After all, he had the responsibility for her. He had saved her life many years ago. She was nearly his sister. She had lived in the same house as him. But that was many years ago…

* * *

><p>…"<em>Mom, Dad, we are home!" Win and Mang had finally come back to the village. On the way they had met some of their wolves-friends. It had not exactly been the best meeting. <em>

_Their friends had yelled loudly and pointed at the new guest. Now all the villagers knew that Win and Mang had brought a tiger cub with home. At least Tigress was still unconscious, so she had not witnessed the yelling. _

_Now, the brothers were outside their small hut, waiting for their parents to welcome them. Soon a big figure was standing in front of them. _

"_Win, Mang, were have you been? Your mother and I have been so worried. You… Oh! I see that the rumors are true! Who is your little tiger friend?" Their father, a golden wolf named Heuen, was looking at Tigress that still was lying in Mang's arms. _

_Win took his friend's paw. "She is my friend, Dad. Mang and I saved her from Yee Tui. She nearly drowned. Her name is Tigress and…" _

_Mang cut in, "She is Shifu's student, Dad. I told Win that it was a bad idea to take her with home." _

"_But she is running away from the palace. She doesn't want to be there anymore. And she was nice to me, Dad. She didn't care that we are wolves. And then she fainted. We have to help her, Dad. Please." _

_Heuen scratched his head. "I…" _

"_Of course we will help her, darling. Mang, please carry her into me and Dad's room. Just lay her on the bed." _

_Heuen's wife Hsueh, a white wolf, had been listening to their conversation. _

"_Hsueh, are you sure that it's a good idea? After all she is…" _

_The white wolf sent her husband a stern glance. "A cub. She is just a little cub and she needs our help, Heuen. And I will help her." _

"_Fine, but I am going to hold a council with Huei Woo and the heads of families." _

"_But take Mang and Win with you. It was them that found her. Now, I will try to wake up the little girl." _

_Before she could leave the room, Win gave his mother a big hug. He buried his head in her soft, white fur and said, "Thank you so much, Mom." _

"_Everything is going to be fine, Win. I am sure that she will be allowed to stay here. And then she can live in our house." _

_Mang, who had come back to the others, got a you-don't-dare-that-look on his face. His parents ignored him, but Win stuck his tongue out. _

_Heuen sighed and began to walk out of the door. "Come on boys!" _

_The two wolves-brothers followed him. Win took a look around the village. Everywhere were torches to light up the town. The sunlight could not reach to village, because it was underground. _

_It was well hidden; if you should find it, you should first find the wolves' cave, then squeeze through a crack in the cliff and then find their way in the dark tunnel, before they could come to the village. It was the reason why there never was anyone who found them, and why the wolves were so proud of their night vision. _

_Huei Woo was in his large house. All his guests were led into the negotiating room. It was a big room with a large table with many chairs around it. The room was very dark; there was only a fireplace and some candles on the table. Win had never been there before; the negotiating was only for adults, so Win felt very proud. It was something to tell his friends about. _

_The adults talked eagerly, but there was silence as Huei Woo pounded the table. The great wolf always showed his power and authority. His gray fur was very long, but could not hide all the scars in his face. Win admired him for his big muscles and his amazing Kung Fu skills. _

_Huei Woo caught his glance. The gray wolf blinked with one eye and smiled to the young wolf. Win blushed slightly, but his long, black fur hid it. It was not every day that Huei Woo would pay one attention. _

_The big wolf cleared his throat. "As you all know, there have been rumors that Shifu's student has come to our village. These rumors are true. Heuen's two sons rescued her from Yee Tui. Now the tiger is sick and need our help. And I want to hear your opinion." _

_A dark brown wolf raised his paw. "Shifu helped that wretched leopard to make us outcast. I can't see any meaning to help his student. She will grow up and be exactly like him; a wolf-hater. I think that we should put her back in the forest." _

"_Or we could use her. If we wrote a letter to Shifu, telling him that we have his student, maybe he would do whatever we want." A red brown wolf gave his opinion. Some other wolves grunted approvingly. _

_Win could not take this anymore. He knew that children were not allowed to talk, but now he didn't care. _

_He stood up and said loudly, "Tigress is my friend. She is not like Shifu; she does not hate wolves. She was nice to me and Mang. If you put her into the woods, it will be the same as killing her. She is sick and can't take care of herself. And about sending a letter to Shifu… Tigress is actually running away from the Jade Palace. She does not like Shifu and she said that there was no searching-team after her. That means that Shifu is not interested in her. My mom said that she could live in our house. Tigress needs our help and… And I have the responsibility for her. I saved her and I will help her again. And I hope that you will do the same!" _

_Win sat down. He could not believe what he just had done. He was going the get so much trouble… _

_Huei Woo took the word. "It was a very beautiful speech, Win. And you are right. Your little friend, Tigress, has not done anything wrong to us. And it is wrong to punish her for something that she hasn't done. But I know that Shifu will search for her. Hmm… My decision is that the tiger must stay with us until she is healthy. She will live at Heuen and Hsueh. When the time comes, she must return to the Jade Palace. Meeting is over."… _

* * *

><p>Tigress woke up. Win was still holding her, but now it was unnecessary. Tigress felt normal again; her fever was gone.<p>

"Uhm, Win?"

Win came back to reality. "Oh!" He blushed and let go of her.

Tigress smiled. "Thanks, I am warm now."

Win smiled back. "Good to see that you are awake. You have slept for some hours I think."

"It's was nice to sleep. And I did not have any nightmares. Thank you for that."

"Actually, I have some question to you."

"Go on."

"Okay, I have three questions. First: what has happened to you? Your face is full of scratches."

Tigress raised an eyebrow. "I got attacked by a bush," she said flatly.

Win face was one big question. "Okay… Next one; should I be worried about that you have deadly herbs in your bed?"

"What?! How did you..."

"I found your leather bag while you were sleeping. I am actually really touched that you still have the stone I gave you."

Tigress shook her head. "The answer to your question is no! I just hide all the things from the village in my bed. Nobody, except you, will find them there."

"Okay, the last and most important question: can I have your soup?"

Tigress had finally come out of all her blankets. She looked at the ground beside her bed. There were a cup of water, a plate with rice and a bowl of soup. Po must have been worried about if she was hungry.

"Take it, but I will have the rice," she told her friend. Her stomach wasn't in mood for eating right now.

"Deal."

They sat on her bed, eating and talking. Everything was just perfect, until…

GONG!


	11. What The Eye Doesn't See

A/N: I'm so sorry for not having updated. But now, I'm finally back in my cold Denmark and my precious computer! This is my longest chapter so far, let's hope that it will make you forgive me for not having updated. I want a twist in Tigress and Win's friendship, so this chapter is a little different than the others. There is a little grown-up-thing; I hope that it isn't too bad. My story is rated T so… Please review and tell me what you think. Her er det næste kapitel, that means: here is the next chapter!

I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

Important notice: this chapter has been redone because of grammar and spelling mistakes.

**Friends Forever,** **What The Eye Doesn't See **

Tigress and Win froze at the sound of the gong. Normally, the morning gong was just a loud sound that told them that it was time to get up.

When Tigress was a cub and just had arrived at the palace, she had hated the gong. It was not like that she didn't want to get up; it just wasn't a very nice way to be awakened. No doubt about that. But she had gotten used to it.

But now, the gong didn't say "wake up"; it said "Shifu is coming!"

If Tigress' master found Win in her room, she could not explain anything. What could she say? 'Hey, Master Shifu. This is my best friend, Win. He came into my room tonight, but it is okay, because I gave him permission to do so. I know that he is a wolf, but can't you just ignore that and leave us alone?'

Of course she couldn't say that. Instead, she just continued staring at the closed door, not knowing what to do.

"Good morning, Master." Her friends' voices could be heard through the thin wall. Soon, Master Shifu would knock on her door, ask her if she was alright, and then open the door and find Win.

And sure enough, there was knocking, before the question came, "Tigress, are you all right?"

She couldn't answer. She couldn't remove her glance from the door. She just stood there, waiting for the worst to happen.

The door became open, her master was standing there and…

"I see that you are out of bed. Good, you will practice with the others today." That was that. He just looked at her and… and then he left. He left only after two sentences. Two sentences that didn't contain the word "wolf".

What had just happened? Tigress was still focused on the empty place where her master had been standing. She blinked a couple of times when she understood that the red panda was gone. Tigress then turned around so she could see all of her room.

It was empty. There was nobody. Her bed was standing were it used to stand, the same with her little dresser. The bowl, plate and cup were empty, and were standing on the floor next to the little mountain of blankets.

Win was nowhere to see. Where was he? The only way in and out was the door. He couldn't have taken that way. That was impossible. He would have been seen. How had he done it?

She opened her mouth and then closed it again. She could _not _call his name, even though it was what she really wanted to do. But if she did, she would reveal him.

"Uhm, Tigress?"

In contrast to what Tigress thought, she wasn't alone. Her friends were still there, probably worried about her. After all, staring into an empty room wasn't the most normal thing to do.

Tigress took a deep breath. She had to pull herself together. She returned her friends' glance. Although it felt like she had to pick up her voice from a somewhere deep in her belly, she managed to answer Monkey's question. "Just go ahead. I need to change my clothes."

She was sill dressed in her sleep-wear. Normally she would have been ashamed in this situation, but now she could only think of Win.

After some few seconds, they all left. Tigress closed her door and walked to her dresser. _"Win is fine. He is probably already out in the woods. I don't know how he did it, but he is smart. He has found some brilliant way to get away…"_ Her calming thoughts helped a little.

Like in some trance, she started to undress herself. Slowly, she put her normal, training clothes on. _"Win, Win, Win."_ She couldn't get him of her mind.

Suddenly, she froze. She could sense that someone was behind her. Her breathing became faster. With a jerk she turned around, ready to scratch out the eyes out of the spy.

But before she could do that, she took a look on the mysterious person. Her arms fell down; it felt like she was too tired to hold them up. Her lips felt lifeless, but she could open them enough to let out a stunned, "Win."

The black wolf stood a few steps away from her, his eyes widened. His mouth was open, but no sound came out. Finally, he broke the silence. "Tigress, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to… I just… I am so sorry. Please forgive me." It all came out as a whisper; they both know that if they spoke to loud, the others maybe would hear it.

His eyes were begging her, but Tigress didn't understand. What did he mean? Then she saw the blanket-pile. It was now spread across the room. It hit her as a lightning strike. This was how Win had done it. He had hid himself in the pile without Tigress had noticed it. He had been there while Shifu was in the room, while she had talked to her friends, while she had…

He had been there while she had been changing her clothes! He had seen her while she was only wearing underwear! That… That was just wrong! How could he do that?! Nobody… _Nobody_ had the right to spy on her like that!

Win could see in her eyes what she was thinking, so he took a step forward. "Tigress please… It was an accident! I hid me under the blankets and then you… I didn't know that you would… I closed my eyes; I swear!"

"Stop, Win! I… I forgive you. I forgive you. Let us just forget it. Just pretend that it never happened. And get that blush of your face," she said jokingly, but with an emotionless voice.

Tigress' head was aching again. Not like the time when she had been sick; no, it was a new pain in the back of her head. Somehow, Tigress knew that this pain wouldn't allow her to forget.

But she had to. She had to make Win stop whispering those excuses. And the only way to do that was by forgiving him. And he was her best friend! Of course she forgave him. He didn't mean anything by it, right?

Tigress could see how he got filled with relief. He stretched his arms out for a hug, like they had so many times before, but stopped in the middle of the movement. Even though they had decided to forget it all, they both couldn't. At least not now. The whole situation was still pretty awkward.

Instead he put his paw on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. They looked each other in the eyes; the glance was so full of emotions, that Tigress couldn't take it, and looked down instead.

But even if she didn't look at him, she could still hear him whisper, "Thank you. I have to go back to the cave. Don't worry; I will be careful."

When she looked up again, he was gone.

She tried to clear her thoughts. Was she mad at him? No. She was confused, stunned and irritated. Irritated on herself. She should have known that he had been in the room. It was her fault. But maybe it wasn't such a big deal. Win had probably closed his eyes. He had only looked at her in a short second. Nothing more. It wasn't so bad. She was just overreacting.

But there were no doubt about, that this was the weirdest morning in her entire life.

The walk to the kitchen felt incredibly long. When she finally walked in, the first thing she saw was her master's impatient face.

"You're late. We can't spend all day waiting for you."

Tigress tried to focus on something behind Shifu. She hadn't the strength to look her master in the eyes right now.

"Sorry Master, it won't happen again."

Shifu left the kitchen with an irritated murmur. Tigress knew he had the right to be angry; it had taking her way too long time to get out from her room. It was Win's fault, but of course she couldn't tell her master that.

Tigress sat down beside her friends that stayed in the kitchen. Po put a plate of tofu in front of her, but Tigress wasn't in mood for eating. Actually, she was pretty sure of if she ate something, it will come up again.

Right now, she just wished to be alone with her thoughts. But her friends were apparently against that wish.

"Tigress, what took you so long? We were starting to get worried! We thought that you were sick again!"

Tigress followed her master example, and just uttered a murmur.

* * *

><p>Win wasn't doing better. The same thoughts were terrorizing his brain. He had kept them a bay, but now when he was back in the hidden cave, they were there like mosquitoes. Mosquitoes that wouldn't leave him alone.<p>

Win felt guilty. Like a criminal.

Why had it happened? He hadn't wanted it happen! It just did!

"_Ha! You didn't want it to happen? It was you that was hiding in the blankets!" _

No, he had just tried to avoid Shifu. How should he have known that Tigress would do what she did?

"_Like you haven't expected it. You stayed there, right? You didn't show yourself when they left." _

He hadn't expected it. He hadn't wanted it.

"_If you hadn't wanted it, then why didn't you make some noises? Let her know that you were there? Why didn't you do that?" _

Although, Win couldn't answer the voice in his head, it continued to haunt him.

"_You wanted it! You wanted it, that's why you didn't show yourself." _

No, no! She was just like a sister to him. He had promised her, that they will be friends forever. Friends!

"_But that was long time ago. That was how you felt long time ago. How do you feel now? There is new feeling now, isn't there? You both grew up." _

That wasn't how he felt. He couldn't feel that way. He just couldn't.

"_You can't? Of course you can! And you do. She doesn't even know the real reason to why you are here. You didn't tell her. You lied to her." _

He had to! She couldn't handle the truth. He had just protected her.

"_What about yesterday? You were full of worry for her. You didn't know why she didn't come and you ended up risking your life for her. You know that it is true. You know what had happened if Shifu caught you. But you didn't care. You had to see if she was okay. And you stayed with her all night because she was sick. You care about her. More than you will admit. But you won't tell her… What a shame." _

No, it wasn't a shame! He couldn't drag her down with him. She was Master Tigress, Master of the Tiger Style. And he was Win, Huei Woo's student, a wolf, an outcast that was forced to hide. He knew that Tigress had loved living with the wolves, but she just couldn't live them again.

"_Can't she? Think about it. If she lived with your family again, she would not be near the danger. She would be safe. You don't have to tell her about the danger; you just had to get her to the others. It's easy; she would follow you without even take a look back." _

She wouldn't leave Shifu. She was still loyal to him. Even after all the things that he had done to her.

"_Come on, you hate Shifu. You hate him because he is destroying Tigress. You are afraid of that he one day will break her, with his criticism and indifference to her. He is hurting Tigress, and you know it. You know it because you can see it on her. You know it, because you was the one that saved her life, when she was running away from him. If you hadn't saved her, she would be dead now. She would be dead because of Shifu. It would be his fault. You love her, he doesn't." _

Win knew that the voice was right about that. He hated Shifu; he had hated him since he first met Tigress. Maybe Tigress would leave her master, but what about her friends. Win wasn't sure about how much she cared for them.

"_You are her best friend, they are just Shifu's others students. She would do anything for you." _

Would she? After what he had done to her this morning?

"_She forgave you. You are still her best friend. What happened this morning was nothing. She said that you should forget about it, that it never happened." _

But was that true? Had she just said it without meaning it?

"_Of course not! It is the truth; Tigress would never lie to you. Relax, you just have to never mention this morning again and find a way to make her leave the palace voluntarily. Then she will be safe and that is the only thing you want, right?" _

He wanted her to be safe more than anything else. And the voice in his head was maybe not so crazy after all. It was a good plan, and Win was actually pretty sure that it would work.

The voice disappeared, but its words were still in Win's brain. Tired after been awake all night, he lay down and waited for the sleep to finally come.

* * *

><p>Tigress was full of bruises. She hadn't had a voice in her head like Win, but she hadn't could concentrate while training. Her friends thought that she was still a bit sick and finally convinced Master Shifu that she needed to rest.<p>

Now she was lying on her bed, trying to ignore the pain in her body. To keep the thoughts about the morning and the pain away, she filled her head with something that would calm her; memories.

* * *

><p>…<em>Tigress and Win sat on Hsueh and Heuen's big bed. Tigress was still a little sick, so she had been given the order to stay in bed. She had quickly gained a strong bond between her, Win, Hsueh and Heuen. It was only Mang she didn't trust so much. Hsueh and Heuen was like the parents that she never had before. She was like a part of the family now. <em>

_Win was very interested in her life with Shifu. She tried to explain how she felt with her master. _

"_It was like he didn't saw me." _

"_What do you mean? Is he blind?" _

"_Of course not, now you're just stupid! I mean... Uhm, how can I explain? You guys see me. You, Hsueh, Heuen, even Mang I think! But Shifu didn't." _

"_I still don't get it." _

"_It's like when I'm sad, you are there always to comfort me. You can see that I'm sad and you do something with it!" _

"_So Shifu doesn't do that? He doesn't sound very nice." _

"_It's not like he is evil, he is just… He can only talk about my training. He can only see me when I do something wrong." _

"_Do you hate him?" _

"_What?! No! He is my master and… I don't want to talk about this more! Let's talk about something else." _

_Win could see that she was upset right now, and quickly started to talk about what they should play when she wasn't sick anymore… _

* * *

><p>"Tigress! Tigress! Wake up!"<p>

"What? What?"

Tigress finally opened her eyes with help of Viper's high voice.

"You scared me, Tigress! I couldn't get contact with you!"

Tigress yawned. "I was just sleeping, Viper. Relax! What do you want?"

"Master Shifu want you to train again, but are you sure that you can do it?"

"I'm fine, Viper. Shifu is right; I am ready to train. We better hurry; I don't want to waste any more time by staying in bed."

The tiger and the snake left the room to another exhausting Kung Fu lesson.


	12. A Scream In The Storm

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! It's them there are making me to hurry with my chapters! So if you review, I will hurry!

I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

Important notice; this chapter has been redone because of grammar and spelling mistakes.

**Friends Forever, A Scream In The Storm **

"Hey Tigress! What do you think about that Chiao Lo is coming?"

Tigress and the others had been listening to Po's enthusiastic talk about how one of his great heroes was coming. Well, listening and listening… Tigress had spent most of the time staring at her plate with tofu. Monkey, Mantis, Viper and Crane had done their best, both also them had given up. Po was just too… Too Po!

But now, when Tigress had to say her opinion, they were all listening. Tigress didn't like the attention, but she knew that they wouldn't leave her alone. She had to answer.

"I think that he and Master Shifu are overreacting. We still haven't seen any wolves. The only proof we have is that we heard a howl. And even if there were wolves, then we should be strong enough to handle them alone. We are after all the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior."

They were all surprised. Tigress never said things like that. She always just did what Shifu told them to do. Except for the time with Tai Lung.

"But Tigress, we actually know that there are wolves around the valley."

"What?!" Tigress looked over the table. They were all avoided her glance. She turned her attention back to Crane, who was looking quite nervous.

"Uhm, yesterday we were out searching again, and we all found some evidence. Including a footprint."

No, no, no, no, no, no! Tigress used all her strength to create a face that didn't expressed horror. Win had been too careless about his safety.

"Why didn't you tell me that before? All of you! I need to know things like that!"

Her anger filled the air in the room. Everyone could feel it, and they knew that they had to calm her. If they didn't, she would probably break the nearest objects around her.

Viper did the first try. "You was sick yesterday, Tigress. Don't you remember that? And every time we checked on you in your room, you were asleep."

"But what about today? You all had plenty enough time to talk with me today."

But now, her friends started to get suspicious. Okay, Tigress had always been the boss-type with a need to control everything. They had learned to live with that and they appreciated her as their leader. But that she freaked out like this, over something that they had forgot to tell her, was not like Tigress. Why was this so important to her?

"You were looking so not-like-you, that we thought that you were sick! We wouldn't bother you with telling you something like that. Relax Tigress; don't be so mad!"

If they were surprised over Tigress' behavior, then they were speechless over Po's. No one had ever gone up against her like that. Everybody (including Po) didn't know how he had been brave enough to do that. Tigress was going to kill him.

But she didn't. She rose up from her chair with a face that didn't express any feelings. Someway, that was worse than when she was angry.

"I'm going to bed." Tigress' voice was cold as her face.

Viper took a look at her not-eaten tofu. "Tigress, you have to eat something. You ate no breakfast and…"

"I will take it to my room." With that she left, taking the tofu with her. Her friends didn't say anything to stop her.

The house where they had their rooms, was separated from the house were they eat. The night air was cold and when Tigress looked at the sky, she could see that a storm was coming.

She was so frustrated! Why couldn't Win been more careful? Now the others knew that there were wolves! And Po! How dared he talk to her like that?

To get off her rage, she took the tofu and threw it as hard as she could into the darkness. She was about to run to her room, when she saw him. Her master was standing some few meters away from her. They had eye contact in some seconds, before Tigress rushed away. Shifu didn't move or yelled after her, he just stood there, watching her disappear.

* * *

><p>… <em>Little Tigress had all the kids' attention. They were crazy about her; she was Shifu's student and the first tiger they had ever seen. But the most amazing thing about her; she could do Kung Fu. In the wolf village, it was only the men who learned that. The boys started to be taught that from a young age, but Tigress could beat all of them on her own age. And she was even a girl! <em>

_In her thought, she thanked Shifu. She thanked him for having taught her Kung Fu. Even though she only could do a little, it was enough to make her popular. _

_The wolves-kids were very nice, but she missed Win. He and Mang were on a trip outside the wolf-village, just like the day they had found her. It had been nearly a week since, and Tigress felt much better. She was allowed to walk around in the village, but not outside. But Tigress felt no urge to go outside the village; she didn't want to go back to Shifu, she just wanted to stay underground in the village. _

_She knew that Win will come home soon, but the day had felt so long without his company. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of a white wolf. _

"_Hsueh!" Tigress hugged her 'mother'. None of them had said anything about their relationship, but Tigress was sure of that the Hsueh saw her as her adoptive daughter. _

_They had become very close when they had tried to find new clothes to Tigress. It had been some days after she had arrived, and Hsueh had ransacked her dresser to find some old clothes of her own to give to Tigress. _

_The white wolf had been chocked when she found out that Tigress didn't wear dresses. Hsueh had finally got a 'daughter' and then she couldn't give her dresses! What a disappointment! It had ended with that Tigress gotten some of Win's old clothes that still were a little too big on her. _

_Hsueh face became a smile when Tigress hugged her. She whispered into her ear, "Guess who has come home!" _

"_Win!" Tigress screamed happily and ran into the little house. Win was waiting at her in the doorway and was ready for her hug. _

_When she finally was done, they took a walk. They stopped at a big stone; it was their favorite place to talk. By working together, they both made their way to the top of the rock. They swung their legs over the edge, so they could sit and enjoy the view over the village while talking. _

_Something had bothering Tigress all day, and now she had to tell Win. She burst out, "It just so frustrating!" _

"_What is frustrating?" _

"_It all! I mean, back in palace everybody said that wolves were evil! But then I met you, Hsueh, Heuen, Mang and all the other wolves, and you are not evil!" She meant what she said; Mang was not her favorite wolf, but he was not evil. _

_Win didn't say anything, he kept looking at her, and his eyes were encouraging her to say more. _

_Tigress continued, "And they said that Huei Woo was a big, evil, scary and merciless villain. But he is not! Okay, he is big, but not evil, scary, merciless or a villain! He was so nice to me when he explain how long time I must stay here, and I even got to sit in his lap! Why are people lying, Win? Why do they lie about you?" _

_Win laid his arm around her and said, "I don't know, Tigress. Mom and Dad say that I'm not old enough to hear the truth about why we are banished." _

_Tigress looked at him with big eyes. "Huei Woo said the same to me; that I'm not old enough!" _

"_We have to wait to we are old enough! Then we can know the truth! But actually, I have a gift to you." _

_Tigress forgot everything about being old enough, when she heard the word 'gift'. No one had ever given her a gift before. _

_Win took a little thing out of his pocket. "I know that it isn't much, and Mang said that it was childish, but I think that you should have it." _

_He laid the little object in her paw. It was a little gray stone. Tigress loved it from the first second she saw it. "Thank you so much, Win. It's so special!" _

_Win shrugged. "Special? It is just a rock." _

"_Yes, but look at it. It is just like a real Kung Fu warrior should be; strong and cold!" _

"_Cold? A Kung Fu warrior doesn't have to be cold!" _

"_Master Shifu is cold. And he is a Kung Fu master." _

_Win tried to convince her. "Maybe, but stones can also be warm." _

"_Can they?" _

"_Of course! Stone that had been in the sun is warm!" _

"_So I just had to put Master Shifu in the sun? Then he will be warm?" _

_They both laughed. The thought was just so absurd. _

"_Yes, just put him in the sun for some hours, and then he will be sweet and nice!" _

_Their talk had made Tigress happy again, but there was serious in her voice when she said, "Just wait. One day, I will make him sweet and nice and warm." _

_She clutched the stone so much, that Win thought that she would warm it with her own paws… _

* * *

><p>The little, gray stone hadn't change since that time. Tigress stroked it gently with her paws. Her first gift.<p>

She missed them. She missed them so much. Hsueh, Heuen and Chiao Lo.

She didn't missed Mang, and she felt a little bad about it. He was the only one in the family she didn't like. He had just always been so mad when she had been around him. He had called her ugly things when Win hadn't been there to defend her. He had said that she was nothing else but a weak, stupid, little tiger, that couldn't do anything right.

She missed Win. Although she had seen him it the morning. He was a part of her; if it hadn't been for him, she would have been dead. She owed him everything.

Tigress was hungry. She hatted to admit it, but she was hungry. She hadn't eaten in almost two days, and now she could feel it.

"_It is said, that the Dragon Warrior can survive for months at a time on nothing, but the dew of a single ginkgo leaf and the energy of the universe." _

Had she really said that? She hoped it had come out better than she thought.

But she wasn't the Dragon Warrior! She was Tigress, Master of the Tiger Style. She was nothing. Mang had been right. She was weak, stupid, little tiger. She couldn't do anything right. And now, it was her own fault that her best friend might be caught. If Win hadn't visited her, then he would have been safe.

She buried her head in her paws, while trying to fall asleep on her hard bed. Another memory caught up with her, but this one wasn't happy as the previous.

* * *

><p>… <em>Tigress' eyes were focused on the herbs. They were laying on the wood-table that was standing in the little, but charming kitchen. Hsueh had patiently told her about every herb's powers. Which one that could be used to heal wounds, to soothe headache and to use as antidotes. <em>

_Tigress listened with big ears. It was the first time that someone was teaching her about healing. Kung Fu was still the best, but this herb-subject was exiting. _

_Hsueh showed a new plant. It was dark-green, nearly black, with small leaves. _

"_It's called Dragon-Tear. It's the most powerful herb I have. If you squash the plant, you can use it as poison. A little of this in a person's tea, and he will be dead within ten minutes!" _

_The little tiger admired the plant with awe. Just imagine that a little plant could have so much power. It could kill people! Without moving her glance from the plant, she asked Hsueh, "Why the fun name?" _

_Hsueh came in her story-mood. "An old story tells that once upon a time, there was a big and powerful dragon. But the dragon was unhappy and one night, it started to cry. You see, dragons are the most powerful creatures that exist, and even their tears are full of power. Where the tears hit the ground, a little sprout started to grow. The sprout became a little, dark plant with small leaves. The dragon disappeared, but the plant didn't. People found it and soon everybody knew about its poisonous power. And that was how it got the strange name." _

"_Why was the dragon unhappy?" _

"_Well, the story doesn't tell, but I think it was because the dragon was all alone. Everyone gets sad when they are alone." _

_Hsueh stopped and looked away. Tigress had a feeling that there was something that the white wolf didn't tell her. Something bad and sad. She wished that she could see Hsueh's face, but she was still not looking at her. _

"_If it so dangerous, then why do you have it, Hsueh?" _

_Hsueh turned her face to Tigress, and she saw a little smile on the white wolf. But the smile seemed little and tired. _

"_Oh, the story also said, that the Dragon-Tear will bring luck to its owner. Maybe I'm just superstitious, but…" _

_Hsueh shook her head and started to put the herbs in a little leather bag. To Tigress' surprise, she laid it in her open paws. Hsueh smiled to her, a real smile, and said, "It's to you, Tigress. A gift. Now when you have learned how to use them, I don't feel bad about giving them to you. You just have to promise me two things, all right? First, only use the Dragon-Tear as a luck charm. Second, the Valley of Peace and every other village than ours, sees the herbs as witch-herbs. No one must know that you have them! Not Shifu, not Oogway, no one! Understand?! If they find out, you will be in really bad trouble!" _

_Tigress could only node. She felt so honored. But she was wondering, "Why do I get them?" _

"_Like I said, it's a gift. And… And maybe, they will help you to remember us when you are back in the palace again…" _

_The little smile that had been on her face, disappeared. Her eyes were sad and Tigress feared that she was going to cry. The little tiger could sense that something was wrong. Hsueh wasn't like that. Hsueh was smiling, happy and warm. _

_Tigress started to scream, "I don't want to go back! I don't want! I want to stay here!" _

_Hsueh grabbed her and tried to calm her. "Tigress, listen…" _

"_I don't want! Let me stay! Please…" Tigress was started to cry, big tears were rolling of her cheeks. _

_Hsueh let her cry, while she hugged her. The sobbing was intense, but slowly it died out. The white wolf felt that Tigress hadn't been the only one crying. _

_She whispered into her ear, "I wish you could stay here, I wish it of all my heart. But sweetie, you don't belong here. You deserve better. Can you remember what Huei Woo said?" _

"_That I belong in the Jade palace. And when I recovered, I had to go back. That I have to be brave." _

_Hsueh kissed her on her forehead. She would hate herself, for what she was going to do. But she had to. They had delayed it long enough. She had to know. If they told her that tomorrow, it will be too late. She had to be prepared. _

"_He is right, Tigress. You have to be brave. Tigress, I'm so sorry. You're not sick anymore. Huei Woo wants to talk with you tomorrow…" _

"_No, no!" Tigress knew what he will talk about. He would tell her that it was time. The time for her to leave. _

"_Tigress!" _

_But she had already left the house. She ran as fast as she could on four legs. She knew that Win was waiting for her on the big rock. Tigress had to find him as fast as she could. He was the only one that could comfort her in her sorrow…" _

* * *

><p>Tigress had curled herself into a ball while she tried not to sob. She gasped for air. She wouldn't think about it, she wouldn't think about it… A lightning lit up the room. The storm must have come. But the memory she had repressed so long, was attacking her brain. It became a nightmare, but Tigress knew that it was real.<p>

* * *

><p>…<em>Win was sad. The always happy and optimistic wolf was sad. Everyone in the village was that. Except Mang. He hadn't said anything, but his pleased face was not to be mistaken. <em>

_Huei Woo had managed to calm Tigress and she was now full aware of the situation. She wanted to be brave. _

_Now, Tigress and Win was sitting on their stone, probably for the last time. Tigress was telling Win about her talk with Huei Woo. _

"_He said that they will give me some herbs that will make me fall asleep. It's so I don't know where the village is. 'Cause if I knew that, I will put you and myself in danger. If I tried to find you again, maybe someone will follow me and then you would be revealed! That's why I wasn't allowed to leave the village. Because if I don't know where the village is, you will be safe…" _

"_Are you scared?" _

"_For what?" _

"_To fall asleep? I mean, it's not everybody that would like that." _

"_I'm not scared to fall asleep. When I'm sleeping, your dad will be carrying me to the place where I fell in Yee Tui. But I'm scared for how I'm going to live in the palace again. I want to stay here, Win! With you!" _

"_I wish you could, but…" _

"_I know, I have to be brave. I just hope that I'm going to be strong enough to live without you." _

"_I know you are. You are the strongest girl I ever met!" _

_Tigress opened her little leather bag. She had showed Win the herbs yesterday, so it wasn't them she was looking for. It was the stone. She laid it on her paw. _

"_Win, we are always going to be friends, right?" _

"_Of course, we're going to be friends forever. Best friends forever." _

_Tigress smiled, but she cried. She laid her head on Win's shoulder. _

"_I'm going to miss you." _

"_And I'm going to miss you, but I'm sure that we are going to meet again." _

_They didn't say anything, while they walked back to the house. Hsueh, Heuen and Mang were waiting for them. _

_Tigress said goodbye to Mang first. They didn't hugged, she just said, "Goodbye, Mang." He didn't answer. _

_The next one was hard. Both Tigress and Hsueh cried, when they hugged. _

"_Bye." _

"_You will always be in my heart, Tigress. Remember that." _

_Tigress let go and turned to Heuen. Before she could say anything, he had given her a big bear-hug. _

"_Bye, you special, little tiger. Don't you dare to forget us, 'cause we won't forget you!" _

_Tigress hadn't talk so much with Heuen in the two weeks she had been there, but when she looked into his eyes, she saw the eyes of a father. Eyes filled with that strength she needed. _

_Win and Tigress didn't say anything; they had said all what needed to be said on the stone. But he kept holding her paw. He had held it when she ate the herbs, and he had held it when she fell asleep. _

_The last thing she saw was his face… _

* * *

><p>Tigress had unsheathed her claws. The memory had made all her walls to fall. All the feelings she had been hiding was coming. The anger, the fear, the sorrow.<p>

She couldn't stay in her room. She needed to be outside in the fresh air.

Tigress tore the door open without noticing that her claws made holes in it.

Outside, the clouds were in turmoil, just like her mind. Lightning appeared on the sky, but Tigress didn't care. She first stopped running when she standing on the edge of the cliff. She could see that the Valley of Peace was sleeping.

It was like all the feelings inside of her were going to make her explode. Her tears were mixed with the rain.

Tigress screamed. If you listened closely, you could almost hear all her emotions in the scream. But nobody heard it. Even though she had screamed as loud as she could. A thunderclap had drowned it.

After her scream, Tigress felt empty. Like she had nothing more inside her. She took a breath and decided to go to bed again. She had nothing more to do out there.

But when she started to walk, she got a surprise. She wasn't alone in the rain. A big panda was standing some meters away from her.

"Po?"


	13. Green Eyes

A/N: Sorry that there go some days while updating, but I'm a busy girl! I'm really doing my best to hurry! Believe me! And it takes some time, because I have to translate! And if I didn't translate, you couldn't read my story! And that will be sad, because you want to read my story, right? Right!

Anyway, I promised that I would hurry, so this chap is a little short, but I felt bad about not posting. Hope you will forgive me on this.

Long time ago in a chapter, I wrote that I will make Tigress a little sweeter to Po, so I wrote this short chap about them. Hope you'll like it!

Important notice; this chapter has been redone because of grammar and spelling mistakes.

**Friends Forever, Green Eyes **

"Uhm, hi Tigress. So, what are you doing out here?" Po asked, looking as if he had been caught while stealing one of Monkey's cookies.

"What are _you_ doing out here?" She knew that it was cowardly to answer a question with a question, but she too felt a little busted. She had lost control for a moment, and if he had been there to watch it, it would ruin everything.

"Well, I couldn't sleep and then I heard footsteps, so I took a look and your door was open…" the panda explained.

Tigress could have hit herself. She had forgotten to close the door! She had been a little too fast with running outside. But still, it was a very stupid mistake.

"So I went after you, because I want tell you that I am sorry. I shouldn't have said that at dinner. You are clearly troubled and you don't need a foolish panda to say something like that. So, yeah, sorry."

Tigress was stunned. The panda was apologizing to her! And he hadn't done anything wrong! The things he had said were true.

If someone should apologize, then it was her. But as she opened her mouth, it was not an apology that came out.

"It was nothing, Po. Nothing. Just forget it. It didn't mean anything."

"Great. That's great… But, why are you out here?"

Tigress couldn't tell him the truth, so she just took the first thing that was in her mind.

"I like rain."

That excuse was so bad, that even Po didn't buy it.

"Why?"

"_Because the rain hides my tears. Because the thunder hides my screams." _Tigress thought that, but didn't say it. She couldn't. She just shrugged and sat down.

Po wouldn't push her, so he left it with that. He moved his feet a little, until he finally said, "Can I..?"

Tigress sighed and moved a little, so he too could sit down. They sat there for a while without talking, but then Po couldn't hold it in.

"Awesome…"

"What?!" Tigress wasn't really thinking that this was an awesome moment, so she snapped at him.

"It's like us two, sitting together is just awesome."

Tigress widened her eyes. Was the panda in love with her or what was he taking about…

Po realized what his words could mean and quickly said, "I mean, not on that way. It's just I'm your biggest fan, so this is like totally awesome!"

Tigress relaxed again. He could see that Po meant what he just said. If he had been in love with her, she hadn't known what to do! The morning with Win was still killing her brain. That was enough trouble for her!

But then again, 'biggest fan' set her off. She hated when he said things like that! She didn't want any fans! Why would people be like her? Besides, she knew that the fans she had were fake. They liked her on a distance, but when she would come close, they would fear her. Just like everybody else.

Like the panda.

All her anger returned. Po shouldn't have said that. She was going to make him wish that he hadn't said that.

She made her voice calm and cold. "So you are my biggest fan?"

Po realized that he had made a mistake. That voice was not to be mistaken.

"Maybe not your 'biggest' fan, but…"

"So I guess that you know all about me." Tigress had tilted her, but her eyes were flashing dangerously. Once again her anger had taken over her brain, and she was no longer thinking like she should.

Po gulped and said with an unsure voice, "Not like 'everything', but I…"

"You know about my past?" She kept interrupting him with fast her questions. The sentences were coming out of her mouth before she could even think them, and she could not find a way to stop it.

"Well, I know that Master Shifu adopted you from Bao Gu and you became his student…"

"Did you know that once time I ran away?"

Why did she say that?!

Po dropped his jaw. "What? You mean from Bao Gu…"

"No, I mean from the Jade Palace."

Why was she explaining it for him?!

"What?! Why?!"

"None of your business," she snarled. Tigress wasn't even sure why she was telling him all this, but it just felt right. Like she needed to tell someone this. She was too proud to tell him her feelings about Shifu and she couldn't tell him about the wolves, but she could still tell him some parts.

Even though she had just told him it wasn't his business, Tigress could hear her own voice continuing, "It was only some few months after Master Shifu adopted me. I ran away in the night, and was gone in about two weeks. I… I tried to get as far away I could. I hid me in caves and other places." She said the same things to Po, as she had said to Master Shifu and Master Oogway. And all three had believed her.

"Wow! Why did you came back or did you get caught?" His voice revealed curiosity and care, so she could not help but feel like she should answer.

Tigress shook her head. "No, I didn't get caught. I just found out that I belonged in the palace." What she said was actually true.

"That… That's cool. I mean, of course you belong in the palace! You belong with Kung Fu! Everyone can see that!"

Tigress smiled. The panda had made all her anger to disappear. Those things he had said had warmed her. It felt very good, telling him all this. She hated herself from snapping at him, but she just felt like she was slowly losing control of herself. She had to be careful, or something could go very wrong.

Po smiled back to her and continued, "Was it hard to come back?"

Tigress' smile fated a little, but she tried to make it stay on her face.

* * *

><p>… <em>Tigress' tears had dried. It was nearly two days since she had woken up near Yee Tui and now she was in the Valley of Peace (though she had walked as slow as she could). She missed Win so much that it felt like her heart was hurting. <em>

_But she couldn't think of Win right now. There were more important things to be concerned about. She had to face her master. It would probably not be the best meeting. Tigress gulped. _

_She had received many glances from the villagers; a little tiger in dirty, ragged clothes wasn't the most ordinary sight. No one had asked her if she was okay, they were all a little afraid of her. _

_On a way she wished that she still was wearing Win's clothes. It would remind her of him. But Hsueh had been right; Win's clothes would have revealed her. Luckily, the white wolf had kept the old clothes. _

_Now, she was standing in front of the enormous stairs. Step by step, she started to climb it. When she was over halfway, she could spot Master Shifu at the top. He was watching her every step. _

_Time had never been that slow. Tigress looked at the ground, feeling the tears burning behind her eyelids. No, she wouldn't cry! Not in front of him! She would show him that she was brave. Brave, strong and cold. Like him. _

_She had to forget the wolves a little. Otherwise it will be too hard. She would be the perfect Kung Fu Master. She would make her master proud. _

_She finally reached the top. Her master didn't move or talk. _

_Tigress took a deep breath and bowed. "Master, I…" _

"_Are you injured?" His voice didn't sound concern, it was cold. Like always. _

_Tigress shook her head, while starring down. _

"_Good," he said, still refusing to look at her. "Then go to your room. We will talk about this later." _

_Tigress started to leave, but in the corner of her eye she saw Master Oogway standing near the palace, with his concerned eyes… _

* * *

><p>Tigress turned her face away. "Not harder than I could handle."<p>

Po looked like he was going to put his paw on her shoulder, but he couldn't. There was still too far between them.

"How did Master Shifu handle it?"

Tigress made a dark chuckle. "I don't know," she said quietly. "He never talked about it. When I came back, he sent me to my room. I don't know if he was disappointed or hurt… But he never mentioned the episode again. The next morning I started training as normally, and then everything just returned back to normal."

Po was stunned. He was the one that was closest to their master. After all, he was the one that had brought him peace. And for that, Master Shifu was truly thankful. Po had never thought that his master could be that cold. Master Shifu was strict, (no doubts about that) but being like that was just way too strict.

"Well, that sucks."

Tigress shook her head slightly. "No, Po. It was probably the best. I wouldn't like that everybody knew that I had done a thing like that. Master Shifu was right in what he did. I just wished that he had been…"

"More open?"

Tigress looked surprised at Po. How much did this panda know?

"Something like that. He was just… so cold," she said quietly. "I knew that they must have been worried, but when I saw his face… I didn't believe it. Even when I heard that they had sent out a searching team for me. It just seemed unreal."

She met Po's gaze, but didn't turned away. She had started telling him this and now she also had to finish it.

Talking slowly, Po said with a calm voice, "It was because of him you ran away, wasn't it?"

Tigress felt his eyes burning into her own. They were green, exactly like Win's. Why hadn't she notice that before?

She didn't answer, because he already knew it. Po started to get up.

"Uhm, Tigress. I know you like rain and all that, but I don't think that it's such a good idea. You've just been sick and..."

"You're right, Po. Let's go to bed." Dripping wet and tired, they walked together to their rooms.


	14. Chiao Lo

A/N: I am sooo happy! First, because of your reviews! Thank you for your nice comment about my flashback, don't worry, there will be more!

Second, my head is actually done with the storyline! So now I just have to write it down, that's going to take some time!

Again, sorry about the late update. I am doing my best.

This has been rewritten.

**Friends Forever, Chiao Lo **

_She was back in the dark water. She couldn't see, she couldn't talk, she couldn't move. She was helpless. The water was cold. She was freezing. She wanted to get away. But she couldn't. Now the voices came. "Tigress! Tigress! Tigress!" It was Hsueh that was calling her name. It was Heuen. It was Huei Woo. It was Win… _

Tigress stared blankly at the ceiling. Her chest was moving up and down quickly. Those nightmares were making her crazy. She could still hear their voices. They were echoing in her ears.

Win! He needed her! No, she needed him! With shaking legs (she was still affected by the nightmare), she walked to the door. Without making any sounds, she opened and remembered to closed it. She learned by her mistakes. No one was going to follow her this time. With noiseless steps, she walked outside. She stopped, looking around to see if there was anyone who had woken up.

After some time, it was clear that she was alone. She leapt into the forest, in the direction that led towards the cave. The dark forest was silent; Tigress could only hear her own breath. She was more carefully with running through bushes than the last time; she would have an explaining-problem if she came home with scratches.

The yellow moon was shining through the trees, lighting up her way. The storm had passed and it was only drizzle that was falling. The whole place seemed different in the night. It was as the forest belonged to an old fairytale. It was mystic, lifeless and endless.

Tigress wasn't scared of getting lost. She was pretty sure of where she was. After all, it wasn't the first time she had gone this way. She just wished that she soon was there.

Suddenly, she realized something. She could probably reach the cave before the morning-gong, but she did not have time enough to get back. Mistakes, mistakes, mistakes! She had remembered to close the door, but hadn't remembered that she had to get back. What would her friends think when they found her bed empty?

Tigress figured out that she was about halfways. If she turned around now, maybe she could be there in time… No! She had to talk with Win! She was coming this far, and she didn't wanted to give up now. She made her running faster and continued into the dark forest.

Wait! There was someone! Her eyes narrowed. They had caught a movement. But the trees and the bushes made it hard to see. Her body was ready to fight, but a voice inside her head told her that she shouldn't. She remembered last time she had been in the same situation; it had just been Win.

It was probably just him again. Who else could it be?

"Win?" Tigress called quietly. And sure enough, the black wolf stepped out of the shadows. He grinned a little when he saw Tigress' position.

"Do you really attack everyone you meet?" He expected that she would smile of his joke, but Tigress ran forward and hit him hard on the shoulder.

"Ow! Apparently; yes," Win said while rubbing where she had hit him.

Tigress was looking furious, with her eyes glowing and her tail fluttering behind her. "You are a big idiot, Win!"

"What? Why? I didn't jump at you this time!" Tigress leapt out to hit again, but Win had already moved a couple of meters away.

"Because you didn't take care! Did you know that the others were out searching that day I was sick, and that they found a wolf's footprint?"

Tigress expected that he would get pale or at least look like he cared about it. But he didn't! He just stood there, smiling his little, calm smile and said, "Don't worry so much, Tigress. I'll be fine."

Tigress was stunned. Why in the world didn't he worry? He knew what would happen if he got caught! His way to act made Tigress even angrier.

"Can't you just take this serious? Chiao Lo is coming today!"

"Tigress, I know what I am doing. Relax!"

Tigress swung her paw to try and hit him again, but he caught it. Win held it there until he could feel that her muscles relaxed. He let her breathing calm down, before he teasingly said, "I see you still have anger problems!"

Win then found out who it was that had brought 'furious' to "The Furious Five".

"Say one more word about my anger, Win, and you are going to miss your tail!"

The black wolf started to slowly back away from her. He opened his mouth to spoke, but Tigress cut him off.

"One word!"

Win muttered something that sounded like: "Why does everybody want to rip my tail off?" Tigress sent him a glance that made him stop talking. She took a deep breath to calm herself and sat down on the ground.

It was stopped raining and the air was fresh. After some time, Win sat down beside her. Tigress wasn't angry at him; she was just so frustrated because he couldn't see what she did. He couldn't see that he could be in some big trouble.

Suddenly she started to chuckle. "And you said you wasn't afraid of me! You should have seen your face!"

"Yes, I'm a little coward," Win said sarcastically, but laughed with her. Then, Tigress' stomach began to make noises.

He looked at her with disbelieve. "You are hungry?"

Tigress wanted to refuse, but her stomach destroyed that plan. Win started to laugh hysterical.

"What's so funny?"

Win finally controlled himself and said, "I'm living in the forest, but I am doing fine. You are living in a palace and you are starving! It's that a new training method that Shifu had created? Like 'Don't eat and you will be the strongest and thinnest Kung Fu Master'?"

Tigress didn't think that it was funny. "I just not had the time to eat. Mainly because of you. And it is _Master _Shifu!"

Win just shrugged. "He is not mine master. Remember that. And take this." He threw a bread over to her.

Tigress looked at it and then looked at Win. "Where did you get that from?"

Win showed her his own leather bag, which was tied to his pants. He had also some berries in it.

Tigress shook her head. "No, I mean: where did you get that from?"

He finally got it and said, "Don't worry about that. Just eat it."

She looked at him with suspicion in her eyes, but did what he said. He waited patiently to she was done.

"Thank you. So what are you going to do now? I mean, you are going to something, right? Now when Chiao Lo is coming…"

"I was thinking about going home to my parents."

Tigress felt her heart ached. She knew that it was the right decision; it was the only way to keep him safe. But it just hurt so much…

"Tigress, would you like to come with me?"

"What?!"

Win sighed. "They are missing you, Tigress. And I know that you are missing them too."

Tigress felt herself losing her strength. She had tried to keep distant from those thoughts, but now everything hit her. She lowered her glance to the ground, refusing to meet his eyes. She quietly said, "I just miss them so much, Win."

"I know." He laid his arms around her. The way he was holding her showed him how much she trusted him. Win realized that this was something big. He knew that she didn't trust many.

He knew how this would end. He knew that she would come with him. _"It's easy; she will follow you without even looking back."_ No, he wouldn't listen to that voice now. He was doing fine himself.

"You don't have to answer now. I will go home and talk to my parents about it. I know that they would love to have you back. Then I will return to you, and you can answer then."

"But…"

"No buts! Just think about it until I come back."

He felt her nod. They sat there for a while, then Tigress asked, "How are they? Hsueh and Heuen? And Mang?"

The question had been troubling her in long time. To think about them was hard enough, but to actually say their names was worse. It was like they became more real. When they just were memories, Tigress could handle it better.

Win knew that she only had said Mang's name to be polite. He knew that they weren't exactly the best friends. Everybody could see that. But Win appreciated the thought.

"Mom and Dad they are… They are fine. When you left… It was hard. It was hard for everybody. Especially Mom. They miss you, Tigress. They haven't been as lucky as me. They haven't seen you in twenty years. That's long time."

"Do you think that they can remember me?"

"They never forgot you, Tigress. You changed the whole village! You showed us that all people are different! You showed us that even though you were Shifu's student, you were not like him. You didn't see us as evil wolves. You saw us as friends and family! Nobody can forget something like that!"

They looked each other in the eyes. Tigress smiled to him.

"So, they all remember the little, nervous tiger that couldn't swim?"

"For the last time, yes!"

Tigress looked like she was buried in thoughts. There was a question that Win hasn't answered.

"What about Mang?"

Win's face turned serious. Tigress figured out that he had been avoiding the question.

"We are a bit worried about him. He is… You know that used to love Kung Fu. Now he is like… It is like that it is the only thing he can think about."

"I think I know that feeling," Tigress muttered to herself, but Win could still hear it.

"No, Mang is obsessed with it. And he is really good at it. He is the best in the whole village. Only Huei Woo can beat him."

"Win, I think you shouldn't worry that much about it. I mean, look at me! I am obsessed with Kung Fu and I am fine."

"It's different with Mang. He can't control himself. One time, you said to me that you never use your claws in a fight. Mang does. You should have seen his opponents after a fight. They will never even think of fighting him again. Mang can't handle losing. He will do anything to win. Anything."

He looked at the tiger that was lying in his arms. The feeling of she was his responsibility showed up again. He would make sure that she didn't get hurt.

"Tigress, you have to promise me something. Promise me that you no matter what, you will not fight Mang."

"Why do you think I want to fight your brother? I can see when an enemy is stronger than me. Mang could beat me when I was a cub, and I have a feeling that he still could bring me troubles in a battle now. So why should I fight him?"

Win grinned. "It is not like I am saying that you maybe have a little problem with your anger. I am totally sure that if anyone made fun of you, you would just ignore it."

"Say goodbye to your tail, Win!" Tigress wasn't angry this time, she was only joking.

Win played scared, and held his arms around her, so she couldn't move. Tigress was surprised about how strong he was; she actually didn't believe that she could break his grip around her.

"Alright, alright. I promise."

"Good." He let her go, and she quickly stood up.

"Why are you not in the cave? I mean, why are you here?"

"Well, I was going to find you and talk with you, but then I met you on the halfway. Why are you here?"

"I was going to find you, but I had to hurry because… Darn it! I forgot Master Shifu! Win, I have to go now. I must be home before the morning-gong!"

Win looked at the sky. It was nearly morning and soon the sun would be up.

"You can't make it in time. That's impossible!"

"Maybe I can, if I run fast enough." She had already started running away. "See you later, Win."

She leapt into the forest again, but heard Win yelling, "I will be back in three days! Meet me in the cave!"

Then, there was silence. Tigress prayed that she would be there before the others woke up. That would make it a lot easier for her.

She could do without Win in three days. Three days wasn't long time. She could handle it. But if the wolves only were three days travel from here… They couldn't be very far away then. It could be on the other side of the mountain.

Three days. She had three days to decide whether she should go with him or not.

She wouldn't think of it now. She first had to get to the palace. She cleared her head for thoughts and ran as fast as she could.

But that wasn't enough. When she finally could see the palace, the others were standing outside. Tigress didn't have to hear what they were talking about, she already knew it. They were talking about her.

When they saw her, they started to run down to her.

"Tigress, where had you been?"

"Are you okay?"

"We found your room empty…"

"Tigress."

Her master's voice cut through all her friends'. Tigress' head was searching for an excuse, while she bowed.

"Master, I…"

"I hope that you have a good excuse for your absence."

"I… I couldn't sleep, Master. So I went out for a morning run…"

"A morning run?" Master Shifu raised an eyebrow. "You really thought that it was a good idea? Tigress, I am disappointed. To go on a morning run without leaving a message. The same day that master Chiao Lo is coming."

Tigress kept bowing. "My apologies, Master. I wasn't thinking. It won't happen again."

Master Shifu sighed, and turned to the others.

"Go and prepare yourself. I want Master Chiao Lo to get impressed by your presence."

They all left to the training hall. Tigress was happy that they didn't ask her any more questions.

Po was clearly excited with the thought about his hero was coming.

"I just can't believe it, guys. It's going to be _awesome_! But we don't need to prepare. We are the best!"

He made a couple of his Kung Fu moves, which made his friends rolling their eyes.

Mantis jumped on his shoulder. "I guess that you are going to try impressing him with your soup."

Monkey grinned. "Try? That soup will impress everyone! Let's just hope that leopards eat soup!"

They walked together to the training hall, where they did their ordinary practices.

* * *

><p>After about two hours, Shifu walked in with a nervous expression on his face.<p>

"Everybody, go outside. Master Chiao Lo is on the stairs."

All his students did what he said, and gathered in line outside, waiting. Tigress looked like a statue, she didn't move a muscle. Po, however, couldn't stand still.

Finally, the leopard was in sight. Even Tigress became impressed. He was looking a lot like Tai Lung. A lot. But he was looking a bit older, his body was covered with scars and he wasn't a snow leopard. He was wearing black pants and over his shoulder was quiver filled with arrows.

The first thing he did was bowing for Shifu. "Master Shifu. Nice to see you again."

The red panda bowed back. "Master Chiao Lo. We are all glad that you could come that fast. We appreciate your help. May I present my students; Po, Viper, Mantis, Monkey, Crane and Tigress."

Chiao Lo sent them all a flattering smile. "Oh, you don't have to present. Everybody in China knows about them."

He walked passed them, looking them all in the eyes. Tigress noticed that his were golden and cold.

"First, I will teach you all a little about the wolves. It is important to know your enemy. Wolves were banished from the valley over twenty-five years ago, because of stealing, ravaging and murder. I fought against their leader, Huei Woo, and won. They all disappeared after that. But after some time, their damage started again. And we realized our mistake. We shouldn't just have banished them. We should have sent them in prison! But, we never found the wolves' village. Sometimes we're lucky enough to catch a wolf. Wolves are strong fighters, and that is why I am here."

He made a pause, while he walked in a circle around them.

"You are going to show me your skills, and I will try to improve them. Is there anyone who has question?"

"What about the rumors that you torture and kill wolves?"

It just burst out of Tigress' mouth. She knew that it was rude, but she had to get the answer. She wanted to know the truth about why the wolves were banished. She wanted to know the truth about Huei Woo and Chiao Lo. And the leopard could maybe help her with that. Even though, Tigress had a feeling that told her that Chiao Lo would not hesitate with lying if it was necessary.

"Tigress!" Shifu hissed warningly. He turned to Chiao Lo. "Please forgive my student's rudeness."

The leopard just smiled. "No need to apology. Actually, your student is very clever. Like I said: it is important to know your enemy. Not that I am your enemy, but it is just as important to know your teacher. About the rumors: they are just rumors. When I catch a wolf, I just send them to prison. I could never do those terrible things. Well, I have been looking forward to see you training, so let's go to the training hall."

* * *

><p>They spent rest of the day training. Chiao Lo watched them patiently and came with good advices. He was very pleased with Tigress; the only thing she should remember was that she should never let her guard down.<p>

That confused Tigress. She never let her guard down. But when she was going to ask him about it, he was already gone, talking with Po.

Now it was time for dinner and they were all in the kitchen. Everybody was tired after the training, so they were looking forward to get something to eat.

Po was talking about what he was going to make, when he suddenly asked Tigress, "Do you want me to make the soup again?"

"Huh?" Tigress couldn't remember that she had eaten his soup. She always chose tofu.

"Uhm, you ate it that day you was sick. I just wanted to know if you want it again."

Now Tigress could remember. Win had eaten that soup. But when Po had found it empty, he must have thought that she had eaten it. Of course he had thought that, nobody knew anything about her visit that night.

"Another day, Po," she said promised quietly, causing the panda's grin to fade.

"Oh, okay. What about you, Master Chiao Lo? Do you want soup?"

The leopard looked a bit confused, and Tigress then said, "We also have tofu."

He glanced at her. "I think I will go with tofu then."

Po could not help but look a bit disappointed.

Mantis whispered to Tigress, "Wow, Tigress. You only need to have spot and then Chiao Lo could be your twin."

Tigress didn't answer. Mantis' comment made her felt uncomfortable. She did not like the idea that she was similar with the leopard.

Suddenly their eyes met each other. Tigress didn't blink. Finally Chiao Lo removed his glance and began to talk with Shifu, that was sitting next to him.

Tigress felt very alone. Three days to she could see Win again. Three days to she had to make her decision.


	15. Masks

A/N: I'm back! Thanks for the reviews! Glad you like my story!

Oh, I want to tell you that the storyline are complete! There will be about ten chapters more!

Again, sorry for the late update (you know the reason, so I don't want to tell you again). I am a lazy person that hadn't updated in over a week! Bad me! Bad me! Never do that again!

Anyway, here comes the chapter that you had waited for so long (sorry)!

This chapter has been rewritten.

**Friends Forever, Masks **

"Concentrate, Tigress! I need you to concentrate!"

Tigress was sparring with Po, and she wasn't doing that well. One part of her was making sure that she was blocking the attacks, another part of her was dealing with Win's question.

Po didn't understand what was happening. Normally when he was sparring with Tigress, well… It usually ended with after two minutes Po lie defeated on the ground.

It wasn't like he was winning big; it seemed more like the fight would last forever. Tigress blocked Po's attack, but didn't really fight back. If they continued like that, it would be a long day.

Po could sense that Tigress wasn't doing her best. It was like she wasn't quite awake. Maybe she was sleepwalking! He wouldn't be surprised if she could do Kung Fu in sleep.

Po wasn't completely wrong. Tigress wasn't sleepwalking (no one could be sleeping while Master Shifu was yelling at them); she was just tired. Both physical fatigue and mental.

The last nights hadn't been very peaceful. Nightmares, Win's visit, her talk with Po, her 'morning run'. This night she had actually been sleeping. Not good; her nightmares had been waking her up many times. And when she was awake, the question was there immediately.

She made a weak kick against Po, who easily dodged it.

"Tigress, concentrate!"

She bit her tongue to hold a frustrated scream inside. Couldn't her master just leave her alone for a minute?

"_If I leave with Win, Master Shifu will never be able to yell at me again. He will never be able to see me again. I will miss him. Even though he will never miss me. But my friends. I can't leave them. I will stay. But Win, Hsueh and Heuen. I miss them. And they are missing me. I want to see them again. If I go with Win I will meet them again…" _

"Enough!" Po and Tigress stopped their fight immediately and bowed for their master.

"What was going on out there? Tigress, you didn't even give it a try. If that was a real fight, you would have been…"

Suddenly, a big leopard stepped between the student and her master. Tigress glared at him suspiciously. Was he going to help her or join Master Shifu?

"Excuse me, Master Shifu, but can I borrow Master Tigress for a minute?"

Master Shifu blinked a couple of times, he was clearly not used to that people interrupted him. Then he pulled himself together and bowed to Master Chiao Lo.

"Of course. Tigress would you…?"

"Please follow me outside?" Chiao Lo said, interrupting Master Shifu for the second time. Tigress was impressed by the way he could take the control over a situation, without seeming rude.

She followed him obediently and quickly out of the training hall. She sighed silently with relief; her tired head could not take any more of Shifu's yelling. Tigress hated when she disappointed him, and the last days she had felt that she had done it many times.

Chiao Lo began to walk down the stairs, when he looked back and saw Tigress' confused face.

"Can we take a walk while talking? I really want to see the valley."

Tigress nodded slowly; taking a walk didn't mind her, it was more the talk that could be difficult.

They walked together in silence, before the leopard started out, "So Tigress, I watched your training today and I have to ask about what's wrong?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I don't know what you mean." It was a straight lie, but she had lied to so many times before that it didn't mean so much. After all, being friends with a wolf wasn't a thing you could tell anybody.

"Tigress, I have heard a lot of good things about you, and I know that you can do better than you did today. I saw you yesterday and that was impressing. So what was wrong today?"

"I'm just tired." To make it even more realistic, she yawned. Actually, it became a real yawn.

"Bad night?" Chiao Lo voice wasn't demanding, it was caring. Tigress looked surprised at the leopard. She couldn't figure him out. When he arrived yesterday he seemed cold, but now he was talking to her like a family member. How many faces did this leopard have? Who was he really?

Tigress wasn't sure if she could trust him. He had given her a much needed break from training. But he was also the wolves' enemy, therefore her enemy. Or was he? Master Shifu was also their enemy, but he was her master.

She decided to answer all his questions as good as she could. She didn't have to be best of friends with him, but she didn't want him as an enemy.

"Nightmares. They have been destroying my sleep and now it is making me crazy."

"I overheard some of your friends talking about that you have been sick."

"Yeah, it was just fever. I'm fine now."

"Sure? You shouldn't train if you are sick."

Tigress gave him a little smile. "Don't worry, I am fine."

They were now down in the city and villagers were staring at them. It really annoyed Tigress; it was one of the reasons that she preferred to stay in the palace.

Then she realized that it wasn't her that they were staring at. It was the big leopard that was walking beside her. Of course they had all heard about the great hero that had saved the village. Chiao Lo was showing dignity, he simply ignored the glances and was focused on talking with Tigress.

"You were from Bao Gu, right? Master Shifu sent me a letter long time ago, writing about that he had found a new student."

Master Shifu had been writing about her?! Tigress just wished that she could see that letter. What had he written?

Chiao Lo was still looking at her, and Tigress finally found out that he expected her to say something.

"Yes, I… I was an orphan. I never knew my parents. Master Shifu helped me long time ago. He taught me Kung Fu. I don't know what I would have become if it wasn't for him."

"I see," Chiao Lo slowly said, while nodding. "It is funny how once life depends on accidents. I mean if Master Shifu hadn't heard the rumors about you, you hadn't been a Kung Fu master."

So Master Shifu had heard about her because of rumors? Tigress felt a little hurt. She had just hoped that she had been something more special for her master. That maybe Master Shifu had been searching for her for some reason. But why should he have done that?

"_There are no accidents."_ Master Oogway's words were the opposite of Chia Lo's. Who was right?

"Are you hungry?" Chao Lo didn't wait for her answer, but guided her to the nearest baker.

Tigress couldn't hide her surprise. How did he know this village that well? She thought that it was her that should show him around. But now it was like that they had switched roles.

"Have you been here before?" Finally it was Chiao Lo that had to answer. He chuckled slightly.

"Yes, actually many times. I used to come and visit Tai Lung, but when he… Well, you know what happened. After that I didn't have the time to come here. But the Valley of Peace hasn't changed a lot."

A female bunny came out of the shop, clearly happy to see them. "Master Tigress! And Master _Chiao Lo_!" She said his name with awe.

"It is so good that you are here. I was thinking about visiting you in the Jade Palace, but my husband said that it wasn't important enough to bother you with it. But now you are here! Well, the thing is that there had been a robbery!"

"Robbery?" Tigress raised her eyebrow. She didn't think that he shop didn't look like it had been robbed.

"Well… Maybe not 'robbed'. But somebody has taken some of our breads! My husband says that it was just some kids that were trying to be smart, but I don't know…"

"When did it happened, Mrs.?" Chiao Lo face was serious, like it was something really important. Tigress was pretty sure that she knew what he was thinking of.

The rabbit tipped her long ears. "Hmm, two days ago I think. They didn't take much, only some bread. Maybe it was just some poor, hungry kids."

"We will keep an eye on it. Please contact us if the thief comes again." Chiao Lo picked up some coins and laid them on the disk. "Can we have two breads?"

The baker-rabbit disappeared, but quickly showed up with the food. They thanked her and walked out in the crowd again. Tigress just followed the leopard; it looked like he had an idea about where they were heading.

Tigress started to eat slowly, waiting for Chiao Lo to say something. He turned his face to Tigress.

"We are thinking on the same thing, aren't we?"

"It depends on what you are thinking."

He chuckled. "I'm thinking that it weren't kids that have taken the bread. The wolf that is in this area is strongly suspected."

Tigress felt like the bread she was chewing on was growing bigger in her mouth. There had been stolen some bread. Win had bread yesterday. A coincident? It didn't seem to be that. But Win as a thief? There must been another reason.

"Well Tigress, I think you better go back now. I said to Master Shifu that I only would borrow you in a minute and well, I think I broke that promise long time ago."

"Aren't you going with me?"

"No, I would go out and search for the wolf. That is after all the reason why I came here. But do me and yourself a favor, and get some sleep, Tigress. And if you refuse to go to bed, then just try and meditate. Then you will at least get some rest."

Tigress stood speechless in a couple of seconds, before she bowed. "Thank you, Master Chiao Lo."

He smiled to her. "Glad I could help." He started to walk away, toward outskirts of the town. "And Tigress?" He turned around, looking her straight in the eyes. "Thank you for our little talk. It was very interesting."

Tigress followed him with the eyes until he was gone. Who was that leopard? She couldn't figure it out. It was like that he had different masks. The hero, the teacher, the family member, the enemy. But who was he really? What was the truth about the wolves?

Win. She would ask him next time she saw him. He had to tell her the truth.

Was Win safe? Now when Chiao Lo was out searching? But Win started his trip yesterday, Chiao Lo was first starting now. But how fast was the leopard? Tigress prayed that Win was faster.

The trip back to the palace went too fast. Suddenly she just was there. The noises from the training hall indicated that her friends still were fighting. When she opened the door, everybody stopped in their movement and starred at her.

"Well, look who is back!" Mantis said with a smile.

Tigress didn't answer him, but turned to her master. "Master Chiao Lo is going on searching. He didn't say when he is back. He sent me back to meditate."

"Very well. You can go." Master Shifu walked back to his other students that started to train again.

Tigress sat down near Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom, trying to meditate. Deep breaths, deep breaths. A memory showed up in her brain, an episode that she had forgot. She said there with closed eyes and a smile on her lips.

* * *

><p>… <em>The water was comfortable warm. Tigress took a deep breath and dived. She hadn't even minded taken her clothes off; the weather was so hot that it soon would dry. <em>

_When her head was above the water's surface again, she lifted her arms up and yelled, "I haven't had so much fun in years!" _

_Win laughed with her, but also told her to quiet down. _

_It was six years since Tigress had left the wolves, and both Tigress and Win had grown bigger. Tigress had been on a mission alone, nothing big, just some few bandits in a village beside the Valley of Peace, and Win had spotted her on her way home. _

_He had been on a trip outside the village and had quickly recognized his friend. Tigress had been crying of happiness, and had heard everything about the family. Now, they had found a little lake, surrounded by trees and bushes. They were playing and enjoying each other's presence. _

"_I see you had learned how to swim," Win said, while he splashed water on her. _

_Tigress screamed happily and dived again. She swam toward her friend, grabbed his long, black fur and pulled him down under the water surface. _

_When they were finally done with the water, they swam together to the shore. They lie on their backs, looking at the sky. _

"_I should soon go; Master Shifu would start searching if I don't show up." _

"_How is it going with Shifu? Is he getting warmer?" _

"_No, not really, but Master Oogway is nice. You know what, Win? When he looks at me, I think he knows about us!" _

_Win widened his eyes. "How? You didn't tell them, right?" _

_Tigress snorted. "Of course not! I'm not that stupid. But Master Oogway knows a lot of things." _

_She sighed. "But, Win. There are coming some new students." _

"_Really? Are they nice?" _

"_I don't know. I haven't met them. But it will be nice with some friends." _

"_Tigress? We are best friends, right?" _

"_Of course we are, Win. Best friends forever." _

_They took each other's paw and didn't let go, before they again had to say goodbye… _

* * *

><p>"Tigress?" A familiar voice woke her up.<p>

She looked into two green eyes that belonged to the panda that was shaking her shoulder.

"What?"

"Uhm, good morning."

Tigress yawned. "Did I fall asleep?" she asked confused.

"Don't worry, I won't tell Master Shifu. You clearly needed it," Po said with a grin.

"If I needed it so much, then why did you wake me?" Tigress murmured, while getting up.

"Well, there is dinner. I made tofu for you, if that is okay."

"Thank you, Po."

* * *

><p>Dinner went pretty easy. Her friends asked her some question about her walk with Chiao Lo, and Tigress answered that they were talking about training. She also mentioned the 'robbery' in the bakery.<p>

When they were finished eating, the others decided to stay awake, waiting for Chiao Lo to come back. Tigress refused; she just wanted to go to bed soon as possible.

She lied in her bed, half awake, half asleep. "_Master Shifu sent me a letter long time ago, writing about he had found a new student." _Did he still have that letter? Maybe she could ask Chiao Lo more about it when he came back. What had Master Shifu written about her? Had he just written that he had gotten a new student?

She didn't know how long time she lied there, maybe hours, but then she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Crane opened the door and Tigress could see that there had happened something. Crane' face showed nervousness, excitement and shock on one time.

"What is it, Crane?"

"Chiao Lo has come back and… and he has caught a wolf."


	16. Sneaking Around

A/N: Oh, did I leave you with a cliffhanger? I'm evil! But how evil am I? Hmm…

Thanks for the reviews, please continue doing that!

So I have a special idea to the story, you will find something about it in this chapter. I want it to be mystic, so I don't reveal it in the nearest chapters. Forgive me for that, like I said: I'm evil… But that is also something that makes the story exciting, right? Right!

And a sad thing… My seven weeks holiday is over "sigh". Now I have to get back to school and homework… So that means less time to write "Friends Forever". But don't worry! I will try my best to update quick and I will NOT abandon this story!

This chapter has been rewritten.

**Friends Forever, Sneaking Around **

"Tigress? Tigress! Are you okay?"

Tigress felt like she was back in the cold water from her nightmares. She couldn't move, she couldn't talk, she couldn't do anything. She was totally frozen. The water was too cold. She was so deep down in the water, that she didn't think that she could come up again.

Crane's voice was so far away that that she would never be able to reach him. She did not have the strength to it. She was so tired. She wanted them to leave her alone. She let herself sink deeper in the water. Suddenly, she wasn't alone. There was somebody, no something in the darkness with her. Like some sort of power. The 'power' came closer to her, like it first had seen her now.

Fear and panic made her to panic. She didn't know how to get away, but she tried everything to try and do it. She had to. That 'power' was stronger than her. She could sense that it wasn't good. It was a dark power.

Two red eyes came in the darkness, burning of anger. She closed her eyes, hoping that it all would disappear. That it just was one of her nightmares. She wanted to be everywhere else then in the water. She would do anything.

She opened her eyes. She was back in her room. The water was gone. She was safe. No 'power'.

Tigress mentally scolded herself. She was a Kung Fu warrior; not some scared kid!

But now she was alone. Wait a minute! No, she wasn't!

"Crane!"

It was hard to see who that was most surprised; Tigress, because she hadn't seen him, or Crane, because he hadn't expected Tigress' yell.

"Uhm, yes? Are you okay?"

"I'm just not completely awake yet. What did you say?" Tigress tried to keep her voice steady, she had to act normal.

"Master Chiao Lo wants us outside. But I think that he will prefer that we are awake." He gave her a little smile.

"Just give me a minute." With a nod, he left her room. She leaned on the wall, trying to make her body stop shaking. What had happened to her? Nightmares while she was awake? Something was definitely wrong. But she had to pull herself together.

Win! She had to save him! She had to do something! If that leopard had hurt him… She was going to kill him! And Win afterwards for getting caught!

Tigress had unsheathed her claws, ready to rip the throat out of the one who dared to touch her friend.

She rushed outside, eyes glowing dangerously. When she came out, the others were already there. They were too busy with listening to Chiao Lo to notice her anger. To Tigress' joy was the leopard covered in scratches and bruises. He was going to look lot worse when she was done with him.

But before she could jump on him, she imagined what would happen if she did. There was a big chance that she couldn't handle him. And even if she could, her master and friends would be there to help him. She had to think of another plan.

"Oh, there you are, Master Tigress. I have just told the others what we are going to do now, but I'm sure that they don't mind listening again. Master Shifu has been so prescient to make an empty room ready for our new prisoner. Since you came a little late, we have already decided who is going to take the night shifts. Just in case if he should get free of the ropes. I will take care of him tomorrow. But to your luck, Tigress, are we not going to need you tonight. Po, you would take the first turn, right?"

The panda nodded enthusiastic. "Until one hour past midnight. Then it is Monkeys turn."

Monkey sighed. "I'm not really a nocturnal animal."

"Don't worry, Master Chiao Lo. No wolf can sneak up on me!"

"Of course not, Dragon Warrior." When the leopard left, the others followed his example (not Po, he had a mission to do). When Tigress closed her door, she had made a new plan.

She quickly found the little, hidden leather bag. She tried to open it, but her paws were shaking too much. The 'nightmare' was still clear in her memory. The feeling of the cold water… No! She must not think of that now! Win! She had save Win.

Save Win, save Win, save Win. She only focused on that. She opened the bag with success. Tigress hoped that the herbs still had their powers. If not, the plan would fail.

What had Hsueh told her? She studied the chosen herbs closely. She was pretty sure that they were the right, but twenty years were long time to remember something. She didn't want to hurt Po, so it took some time before she decided that she had found the right ones.

She crumbled them carefully with her fingers. She then laid it into one of her paws, then she closed it, so the they would not blow away. Now it was time to the next step of her plan.

She walked outside after having listened if anyone was awake. Her glowing eyes spotted in the dark what she was looking after; a little rock with a sharp edge. Satisfied with her found, she walked silently inside again.

She hadn't exactly seen were they had taken Win, but she had an idea about where it was. In an older part of the palace there were some rooms that weren't used. It was probably there he would be.

And she was right. Soon she found Po sitting alone on a chair beside a closed door. He had a half-empty bowl of soup in his paw, but Tigress thought that he soon would drop it. The panda had fallen asleep. Did she even need her powder? Uhm, just to be safe.

She sneaked up on him and sprinkled the herb-powder into the soup. Tigress held her breath, trying the best to not wake her friend. She hid herself behind a corner of the corridor. If her plan should work, then the panda had to eat his food. But how was she going to wake him, without getting seen?

Tigress stepped hard down on the floorboards, causing them to make a noise. It worked just like she had hoped.

"Whoa… What?" Po looked around, but when he couldn't see any, he shrugged. He slobbered all the soup inside, clearly enjoying it. Then he struggled to keep his eyes open, but the Dragon Warrior lost that fight. Soon he was asleep, just like before.

"Po? Po?" Tigress said quietly into his ear. No response. That went well. He should be out in about two hours. Just in time to his shift.

Tigress opened the door carefully. It wasn't locked, mainly because it didn't have a lock, but also because Chiao Lo didn't think that it was necessary. Tied up with rope and a guard outside the door should be enough. But no one had expected that a tiger would defy her master, and letting the enemy out.

"Win?" she whispered. She wasn't even sure why she was whispering, but the feeling of doing something forbidden was very strong.

"Nope."

"Mang!" A brown wolf laid in the corn, feet and hands tied up. He was, like Chiao Lo, covered with bruises and scratches. In though it was twenty years ago, Tigress could still recognize his angry, dark eyes.

"The tiger girl." It sounded like he also recognized her.

"Tigress," she corrected him.

"Isn't that the same?" Mang snarled at her. He gave her an evil smile. "Came to visit me?"

"I thought you were your brother."

"Like I hadn't expected that. My stupid brother couldn't forget your silly, little friendship."

"I am only saving you, because of that silly, little friendship. So shut up," Tigress growled.

"Saving me? I like to see that."

"Then don't close your eyes."

He chuckled slightly. "So you are doing this because of my brother?"

"Nicely done, Mang. You actually figured it out!"

Mang growled at the insult. "Don't be too cocky, Stripes. Or should I remind of you who of us that is the strongest?"

"Should I remind you who of us that is tied up?" Tigress gave back. The stared angrily at each other, and if Mang had been able to do it, they would had fought.

"You really think you are something, don't you, _Tigress_?" He said her name with all the disgust he had. He shook his head and continued, "But you aren't. You are nothing else but a weak, stupid, little tiger, that can't do anything right."

"Do you want me to leave, Mang? Maybe I should. I am sure that Chiao Lo will be just as nice as me."

"You little…"

"I wouldn't finish that sentence if I was you." The feeling of control gave Tigress more strength. She had Mang exactly where she wanted. "But I would recommend you to answer my questions. Let's start now. What are you doing here?"

The brown wolf snorted. "Don't think that I want to be here. I was forced."

"By who?"

"Chiao Lo." Mang had finally realized that if he wanted to get away, he had to do what she said. "And Mom and Dad, of course. They were talking about being a good big brother, taking responsibility, and punishment if I didn't do it."

"Wow, what a good brother you are," Tigress said sarcastically. "So you came to look after Win?"

"Yes, do you even listen to me? They sent me to check is he was okay, and to give him some food."

"Food?" Tigress asked stupidly.

"Don't you know what food is?" Mang asked irritated, but enjoying to tease her.

"What kind of food? Bread?"

"I think I know what you are talking about. And yes, I took the bread."

Tigress was relieved that Win wasn't a thief, but she was also confused. "Why did you steal the bread? Didn't you say that your parents…"

"They gave me bread that I should give to him, but I accidently eat it."

Tigress raised her eyebrow. "Accidently?"

Mang smirked. "Well, I got hungry. So I saw the bakery, and you can probably figure the rest out."

"So that's how Win got it," Tigress murmured to herself, but Mang heard it.

"Wait a minute. He gave it to you?! After all what I did for it, and he just gave it to you?!"

"I have the feeling that you don't like me."

"No, I don't!" Mang barked.

"Why?! Why do you hate me, Mang?" Tigress had finally lost her temper, and was yelling at him. "You don't even try to like me! You only care for yourself! What about Win, Mang?! Do you even care about him?!"

"Yes I do! He is my brother! It is you that don't care about him!"

"What do you mean?" It wasn't a yell, it was more a whisper.

"I tried to get him to stay away! But no, he had to visit you! That Chiao Lo is here doesn't matters, as long that he is going to see you! You are the one who puts all of us in danger!"

Tigress was stunned. The words had really hurt her. The worst part was that it was true. Her throat hurt, but she kept her expression emotionless.

"We better not yell. I don't want to wake the others," She said with a small, quiet voice.

Mang didn't answer, but when she took out the stone, he got curious. "What are you doing?"

"Saving you," she said simply, while cutting the ropes with the stone.

"Can't you just, I don't know, tie them up?"

"I don't know about you, but I don't want everybody to know that I saved you. When we do it like this, they will probably think that you do it by yourself. Now, sit still, I am nearly finished."

Tigress cut through the last and the rope fell to the ground.

"Mang, I don't understand. Win left about two days ago. Why were you still here?"

"Did you really think that Win was the only one that I should make sure was safe? Can't you even remember how my parents were like?" Mang said, while rubbing his wrists.

"Oh…" It warmed Tigress' heart that Heuen and Hsueh still was thinking of her. "Please greet them from me when you are back. And Win too."

Mang nodded and began to walk out of the room. But before he was gone Tigress quickly said, "And Mang? Try not to get caught again."

Mang growled and disappeared. Tigress stood alone in the dark room, chuckling slightly. She had helped him. Even though she didn't like him. But she liked Win. A lot. So much that she had saved his idiot brother.

"I never thought that you would betray your own master, Tigress."

Tigress froze in shock. Two cold, golden eyes were glowing in the dark. Eyes that belonged to…

"Chiao Lo! I…"

"No need to explain, Tigress. I heard it all. It was a very interesting talk."

"You…"

"I was outside the door all time. I have to say that I am little curious. What did you do to Po?"

Tigress realized that she had no choice nut telling the truth. She had revealed all her secrets to the leopard.

"Herbs. They are harmless. He should wake up soon."

"Clever. I must say, Tigress, that you didn't do a bad job. I am just very good to sneak around. Not even the wolf saw me when he ran out."

"You let him go?"

"Yes, I did. Surprised? Well, I have some reasons. I have been running all day, having a fight with a wolf, dragged him back to the palace, and now I am exhausted. I am not in the mood to run after a wolf right now. I know that you are thinking; what I am going to do with you? You should be nervous. You've been very bad, Tigress. But I don't have enough evidence to make Shifu to believe me. Or anybody else. But the most important reason: after what I have seen tonight, I think that keeping an eye on you is more important than run after some wolf."

"Me?" Tigress was confused. Why was she so important? Wasn't it the wolves he was after?

Chiao Lo came slowly closer to her. "Shifu didn't tell you?"

"Told me what?" Tigress sneered.

"What a funny situation. I have a secret and you have a secret. Let's make a deal; I'll tell you what Shifu didn't and you will tell me where the wolves are."

"No!" she growled sternly. Tigress would never betray Win. She would find another way to make him tell the secret.

"Are you sure, Tigress? It is the only way that I will tell you."

"I said no!"

Chiao Lo sighed. "Your decision."

Tigress' eyes spotted something hanging from the leopard's belt. It looked like a sword.

"Isn't it nice? I took it from the wolf before he woke up."

Tigress growled. "You attacked him while he was sleeping. You coward!"

"Don't lose your temper, Tigress. It will not bring you any good."

She stopped her growling, but stared angrily at him.

"Very good. Now I have a suggestion: Let's go to bed, pretend like we have never been here and let the others find out about the wolf tomorrow."

Tigress nodded and started to walk out. Suddenly, Chiao Lo grabbed her arm and forced her to look at him.

"I will warn you, Tigress. Don't do things like that again. I am letting you go easily this time. You don't want me as enemy. Believe me. And remember; never let your guard down."

Tigress broke his hard grip and stormed out of the room. Po was still sitting on the chair, but he looked like he was going to woke. She didn't give him more attention, and went to her room.

It was first when she was lying in her bed that she realized how bad this situation was.


	17. Running From Pain

A/N: Wow! First time I get this many reviews on a chapter! My first chaps nearly get none (I understand that; they are horrible). I have really gotten better to this!

So I have found out that in the first movie Tigress eats tofu, not rice. Uhm… Oh… Well… In my story it is rice. Rice is fine. Rice is good. I like rice. Rice…

I don't know how many of you that can remember in chapter 6 where Win said "I have not seen you in eight years." You will get the explaining of why he said that in this chap.

Thank to everybody who had reviewed! You are the best!

Sorry for the really late update (*waiting for someone to slap me*); I had some problems with this chapter… But here it is! And is very long… Enjoy!

This chapter has been rewritten.

**Friends Forever, Running From Pain **

Tigress watched the chaos with calm. After the morning-gong Chiao Lo had pretended to check on the prisoner, and the others were shocked by the announcement that the wolf had escaped.

Only Tigress and Chiao Lo knew what had really happened. They hadn't talked together since the episode, but the glances they sent each other said it all. They did clearly not trust each other.

But no one noticed the tense atmosphere between them. Master Shifu spent the most time talking with the leopard, while the others were discussing how the wolf had been smart enough to get away. Tigress, who had been standing alone in a corner, couldn't help but overhear them.

"He must be half ghost or something!"

Crane sighed. "No, Po. That's impossible."

"He is right, Po. Ghost doesn't exist. You are overreacting," Viper said softly.

But Po was determined. "Well, how do you think he got away?"

"With the rock, just like Master Chiao Lo said."

"That's maybe right, but we were outside his room all night! How could he get past us?"

"There is always the reason that some of us weren't awake," Mantis said, jumping up on Monkey's shoulder.

"No way!" Po said, while his eyes narrowed anxiously. "I am sure that it's the ghost-thing."

"I don't know, Po. Maybe the wolf just was really clever," Monkey said thoughtful.

Tigress snorted. Mang clever? Nope!

Po heard her and turned his attention to her. "What do you think, Tigress? Is he clever or a ghost?"

"I think that you should stop reading ghost stories."

"Come on! Ghost stories are really educational!"

"How?" Tigress asked flatly.

Po rubbed his neck. "Uhm… You learn how to see that are person is a ghost! And that is what the wolf is!"

While the other started their discussion again, Tigress walked out to Sacred Peach Tree. When she sat down, the voice started to whisper inside her head.

"_My stupid brother couldn't forget your silly, little friendship." _

"_You really think you are something, don't you Tigress?" _

"_You are nothing else but a weak, stupid, little tiger, that can't do anything right." _

"_It is you that don't care about him!" _

"_You are the one who puts all of us in danger!" _

Tigress closed her eyes tightly, forcing herself to stop the thoughts. She was supposed to be strong. She leaned her back on the tree, taking in some deep breaths. The voice was gone again. Mang's voice. But for how long?

In the darkness two eyes stared at her. Unable to remove her glance, Tigress looked into them. They were full of anger and… And fear. Fear of her. But why?

Tigress opened her eyes. She was staring at the sky; dark clouds were coming. Rain, how lovely!

At least Tigress was sure about one thing; now she was absolutely crazy! Red eyes on the inside of her eyelids! That was not normal!

Tigress bit her lip. She had to see if it was gone. She closed her eyes. Nothing. No red eyes. With relief, she opened them again.

In the distance she could see the high mountains. A little ray of sunlight broke through the clouds, lighting some part of the mountain. Somehow, Tigress knew exactly which place it was; the memory about Win and herself couldn't be forgotten. The last time she had met him, before they reunion at Yee Tui. Eight years was long time.

* * *

><p>… <em>Tigress roared of frustration. She tried with another kick, but like the many before, the wolf dodged it easy. <em>

"_Are you doing Kung Fu or are you playing tag?" Tigress managed to say, while she gasped for breath. _

"_Does it matter? You are losing in both!" Win said with a grin on his face. He actually had a point; they had been fighting in long time, and Tigress hadn't even touched him yet. _

_Their Kung Fu skills had grown over the many years, and they were both really talented. While Tigress was focused on attacking her friend, Win was determined on annoying her with only dodging. To his enjoy, it was working well. _

_She leaped after him once again, but the black wolf quickly moved away, making her to land in the down-trodden snow on all four legs. _

"_Need a break?" Win asked gently, but was answered with a roar. _

"_Please, Tigress. I am not asking you to give up." _

"_I'll rest when I have won this fight!" _

"_Didn't you say that you have to leave tonight? 'Coz then you doesn't have enough time to finish this." _

_He barely dodged her swinging paw. Tigress wouldn't let him go that easy. _

"_You. Are. So. Annoying." The words came out between her gasp. _

_Win just laughed, which didn't exactly calm Tigress. She jumped at him with a furious roar, but again he was gone in a second. _

"_You don't even try to beat me! Why? Are you afraid of hitting a girl?" Tigress did her best to irritate him, but didn't care at all. He couldn't help but feeling guilty, seeing her panting and gasping like this. _

_Win sighed. "So when this fight is finish, you will rest?" _

"_Yes!" Win had to move again, when she did another attack. _

"_Well, you asked for it." Before Tigress even could react, he was in front of her. He took her paws in a tight grip, swept her legs away and landing on her, using his weight to force her down in the ground. _

_Tigress hissed, twisted and kicked, but Wins was to strong. When she finally lay still, she was covered in snow and was breathing heavily. There was no doubt about that she had lost the fight. What would her master say her he knew that she had lost to a wolf? _

_When she realized that Win was staring at her, she looked back. Amber and green met. The time was frozen; they were the only persons in their own little world. _

"_Uhm, Win? You can move now." _

"_Uhm, sure." _

_They found a rock that reminded them of their old sitting-place in the wolf-village. Relaxing their exhausted bodies, they started to talk. _

"_So, how are the new students?" _

"_They are not exactly 'new' anymore, Win. But they are nice." _

_Win looked confused at her. Tigress knew what he was thinking at. She had changed. She had grown up, of course, nothing could stop that change. But she was locking herself away. She used to tell him everything, trusting him. He clearly didn't like her new attitude. _

_Suddenly, something cold hit her in her face. Before she managed to wipe it off with her paw, something hit her again. _

"_Win!" She jumped away before the next snowball hit her. _

"_Win, stop it!" _

"_Come on! Where is your sense of fun?" he said, while scooping snow together with his paws. _

"_I grew up! Maybe you should do the same!" _

"_Growing up don't means that you must not have fun." _

"_But you have to take things serious if you want to be the Dragon Warrior!" _

_Silence was hanging in the air. Tigress was standing in the snow; her breath was looking like smoke in the cold air. _

_Win looked seriously at her. "So that's what this is about." _

_The tiger avoided his eyes and turned away. "What do you mean?" she asked quietly. _

"_You are trying to be the Dragon Warrior." _

"_And so what? Maybe I am the Dragon Warrior! If Tai Lung wasn't… I just need to practice! Maybe I will get the Dragon Scroll. And then Master Shifu…" She stopped in the middle of the sentence. The words just couldn't be formed by her mouth. _

"_Will be proud of you?" Win laid his black paw on her shoulder to comfort her. _

"_You don't understand." It was only a whisper, cold like the winter's wind. _

"_Then explain it to me." _

"_What is there to explain?" _

"_Why you are acting like this. Why you don't trust me anymore. Why you are so cold." _

"_I am not cold." She blinked a couple of times, to blink back her tears. Snow was falling, leaving their fur wet. _

"_Long time ago, you said that you would make Shifu warm. But now, it is looking like it is him that has made you cold." _

"_It's not… It's not my master fault. The Dragon Warrior is supposed to be strong and cold. A real warrior has to be that." _

"_A real warrior? Who had said that? Shifu?" _

"_Stop blaming my master!" _

"_Tigress, you don't have to act like that in front of me. I am your friend. Please don't forget that," Win said with a soft voice. _

_Suddenly, Tigress leaped forward and hugged him. "I am sorry." Win hugged back, happy to see her loosing up. "It is just like you are the only one that really know me, Win." _

"_I understand. Come on, let's try talk again. And Tigress? You can always trust me." _

"_You want to know about my life? Well, one word; training." _

_Win made a little chuckle. "Why doesn't that surprise me at all? Wow, your life must be boring. What about boyfriends?" He obviously made fun with her. _

_Tigress made a face, showing her disgust. "No! Are you insane? Who do you think I would be interested in?" _

_Win shrugged. "Maybe there are some sweet guys in the village." He smiled teasingly. _

"_That's it! You are insane! But what about you? Any nice wolf-girls?" _

"_Plenty. But I am also the most attractive wolf in the village." _

_Tigress rolled her eyes. "You are dreaming!" _

"_It's a shame that you have to leave tonight! Mom and Dad would love to see you again." _

"_I know, but I am glad to hear that they are fine. You could try to take them with you on one of your trip," Tigress said. _

"_Maybe. You could also try to get out of the palace more." _

_Tigress shook her head. "Do you know how much I had to beg Master Shifu to get this break from training? I had to make a whole speech about how I needed some days alone in the mountains." _

"_A break from training? What about our Kung Fu fight? Isn't that training for you?" _

"_Nah, that was just for fun." Tigress tried to imagine how stunned her friends would be if they saw her right now, smiling and joking. _

_But she could go a little further. And she did. _

_The snowball hit the black wolf perfectly. The same with the next. And the next. And the next… _

_Soon the air was filled with snowballs and laughter. However, the two friends didn't know that their next reunion would be much more complicated… _

* * *

><p>"Daydreaming, huh? You don't really listen to me, do you, Tigress? But I can say it one more time; never let your guard down."<p>

Tigress was brutally hoisted to her feet. She quickly backed away from the leopard. What did he want?

"Maybe it will interest you to know that you and the others are going out to search for the escaped wolf. I have already told them were they should go. But you, Tigress, I want you to search around the palace. Try to talk with the villagers, maybe they had seen something. You can also look after evidence in the forest, but don't go too far away from the valley. I want to have you near the palace."

Tigress knew what he was doing. He was keeping an eye on her. Exactly like he had told her.

Before she could answer, Master Shifu joined them. Tigress knew that she had to pretend.

"Of course, Master Chiao Lo. Do you want me to go now or…?"

"You can go," he said, while turning to Master Shifu.

Tigress started to slowly walk away, but her ears picked up their conversation.

"Master Chiao Lo, I feel that we didn't finish our discussion. Can we please take it again inside?"

"It would be an honor. Actually, I have some important things to discuss with you."

Tigress was curios. What was that important thing? She had to keep walking; she could feel the leopard's golden eyes staring at her.

Knowing that she couldn't go back right now, she started her useless mission. She went back to the baker-lady; "No, I have not seen anything, but last night I laid some bread out on the street, just in case that the poor kids would be back". Well, good news for the not-existing children, but not exactly a helpful answer to her question.

Not like Tigress needed some information about Mang. She knew that nobody had seen him. He was probably already halfway home. What she really needed information about was Chiao Lo. What were him and her master talking about?

"_Curiosity killed the cat." _

Hmm, maybe. But going back to spy them wasn't exactly curiosity. It was more like keeping an eye on them.

Trying her best to walk soundless, Tigress sneaked into the palace again. The sound of voices became stronger when she was near the kitchen. Leaning against the wall, she took a deep breath, before quickly take a glance inside.

Master Shifu was sitting on a chair, his back turned to her. Chiao Lo was walking back and forth, paws folded behind his back. Before he turned his head in her direction, Tigress was out of sight again.

Holding her breath, she listened to their conversation.

"I can tell you, Master Shifu, that if Huei Woo has something to do with this, the Valley of Peace can be in grave danger."

"I understand your worry, but what are the chances for that the wolf just was a traveller? But if Huei Woo is planning something, we have to stop him. I will not let him destroy the valley."

"I can beat him. I have done it before. But if that wolf have some dirty tricks, we can possible need help."

"My students are strong. They will be a big help for you."

"They are strong, yes, but I doubt that they can beat a whole army of wolves."

"An army? Are you sure? I haven't heard that they should be this many."

"They are, Master Shifu. They had been hiding in years and now are the time for them to take over China. But we won't let them do it!"

Nobody said something in a while. Tigress thought about what Chiao Lo had said. An army? Really? Win had said that they only were on a quest. Could a whole army be waiting on the other side of the mountains? Tigress felt bad about not believing Win. After all, who did she trust most: Win or Chiao Lo? Absolutely Win!

"Why didn't you tell her?"

Tigress froze at the sound of leopard's voice.

"What do you mean?" Her master's voice was sharp, like it was he was talking about a subject that shouldn't be discussed.

"Master Shifu, no offense, but we both know what I am talking about."

"I can't see why we need to discuss that. I have taken that decision long time ago, and there is no need to change that now."

"I honestly don't think that you have taken the wrong decision. I am just wondering about what your thoughts are about the whole thing."

Master Shifu sighed. "You must understand, Master Chiao Lo, that there is the chance that it isn't her."

"But isn't there also the risk that she could be? But I must admit that I haven't seen anything unusual. Except, of course, that Tigress is an incredible student."

Suddenly, Tigress felt torn. One part of her was nearly screaming to solve this mystery about her, another part wanted to go away before hearing something she would regret. But what could that be?

Her curiosity won. She kept hiding, biting her lip.

"She is indeed, and that is what worries me." He sighed again. He sounded so tired and _old_. Tigress knew that her master wasn't exactly the youngest one, but when he was doing Kung Fu he wasn't showing it.

Master Shifu pulled himself together and continued, "She reminds me of Tai Lung. Her talent, her strength, her love to Kung Fu." He paused. "And her temper. Tai Lung wanted power. He would do anything for it. The Dragon Scroll… You know what happened when he was denied the title as the Dragon Warrior. If the prophecy was right… If Tigress knew how powerful she could be…. What would happened, Master Chiao Lo? Would she be like Tai Lung? I simply can't take the chance telling her."

"You don't trust her enough to tell her?"

"It's not about trust! I just can't take the chance! If it is her destiny, then she had to handle it herself. I can and will not tell her about it all. She has been doing fine in so many years without knowing. Why shouldn't she be doing that now?"

"I have to ask; is there anybody else than us that knows about the prophecy?"

"No. When I heard about it many years ago, I only told you."

"If the prophecy happens to be true, then what would you do? I know that she is your student, but if it could bring China in danger… If it true, then you must take a choice, Master Shifu. Tigress and China can't exist together…"

"If it would go that far, I know what I have to do. It would hurt me, break my heart honestly, but my duty is to keep China safe. Tigress knows that. But like a said; there is the chance that it isn't her. And I refuse to believe until I have the proofs in front of my eyes."

"I definitely hope that you are right, Master Shifu."

Chiao Lo moved his cold eyes from Master Shifu's tired face. Then, he spotted her. Just the half of her face, looking into the room. Their eyes met. He could see all what she was feeling in her eye. The pain, the fear, the anger, the feeling of being betrayed. Then she was gone.

He knew that she wasn't coming back to the palace. That she couldn't forgive Shifu for this. That her master had hurt her to much this time. He knew where she was going. Not exactly where, but he knew that she was going to the wolves. To her friend.

He had to stop her. He had to keep an eye on her. He had let the wolf get away to make sure that she couldn't run away.

He started to get up, but Master Shifu stopped him. "Where are you going, Master Chiao Lo? I would like if you could stay a little bit longer. I would like to discuss the thing about Huei Woo and his army with you."

The red panda had been sitting with the back to his student all time. He hadn't seen anything. He didn't know that he had made his student to run away.

Chiao Lo was stuck. He couldn't get out of the discussion, Master Shifu wouldn't let him. He growled mentally. Tigress was probably already far away from the palace now. If he had to sit here in some time, he had no chance to catch up with her. It was just not his lucky day…

* * *

><p>Tigress was running in like some sort trance. She wasn't crying, no; teardrops running down her cheeks. She was just running. She needed to get away. She couldn't stay there anymore.<p>

Twenty years! Twenty years she had done anything for her master. She had trained to her bones broke just to make him proud. She had defended him when her best friend criticized him. She had done her best to make him to love her.

And he didn't trust her"! He hadn't told her this 'prophecy'! She had said that she was just like Tai Lung! He had said that he would choose China rather than her! He was willing to sacrifice her!

She worried briefly about if they others would find her. They were still out searching for Mang. She prayed that she would get past them without getting seen.

Cold spread through her body. She started to shake. Heavy raindrops fall through the treetops. They hit the ground hard, soon the earth was mud.

Tigress tripped. She land heavily, face in the dirty mud. She didn't even try to get up. Her body shook, but no tears came. It just hurt so much.

After some time, she slowly forced her body up again. Before she started to run again, she looked into a nearby puddle. Her reflection looked back.

She blinked. Now it wasn't her face in the puddle. It was a face with spotted, gray fur and golden eyes. Tai Lung.

She moved her glance away, continued her run to the hidden cave.

* * *

><p>Chiao Lo watched the red panda disappear in the rain. Going to gather his student. He would probably first find them after some time; they had probably gone far away, after all the time searching. Chiao Lo knew that when Shifu was finally finished, he would be missing one student. Tigress.<p>

That tiger had been lucky enough to get away. It had taken over an hour to discuss with Shifu. Now it was too late.

What should he do?

An idea came. He could blame someone else. He could make Shifu hate them even more. It could work.

He just needed to work a little and some lies. He had lied so many times, that he could make nearly anyone to believe him. Also Shifu.

He slowly walked into the palace again. He had plenty time. When he stopped in front of her door, he chuckled a little. Should he knock? Just for fun? Of course there was nobody in there. He was all alone.

As he opened the door and looked into Tigress' room, a smile came on his face.

He unsheathed his claws and began his plan.


	18. Lead Me

A/N: Hey everybody!

I am back, much quicker than the last time!

I have a task for you! You don't have to do it, but I ask nice… I have been reading my whole story again, and I can really see that I have gotten better! But I am a bit curious about what chapter that is best… So I ask you (yes, you!) to please review and say which chapter that is your favorite. You don't have to do it, but I will be really happy if you did. It is not like: do it or I will not update! Of course not! I will always update, I just want to know where I have been really good. So if you have the time, please do it! And if you have a little bit more time, you can also write why you like it.

Anyway, thanks for reading my story. And you can also just review normal…

Just so you know… LONGEST CHAPTER YET!

This chapter has been rewritten.

**Friends Forever, Lead Me **

Win shook his body, tired of the many raindrops on his black fur. But the rain continued mercilessly, making him dripping wet again.

Win decided to ignore it and started to run again. He had rested some hours before, so he wasn't tired. The thought about seeing Tigress again also helped him.

His ears picked up a sound. He quickly ran to the nearest tree, leaning against it to hide his body. His eyes spotted the large bird that was flying over the gray sky. Crane, he guessed. When he was out of sight again, Win ran unnoticed through the forest.

He couldn't be far away from the cave now. He had passed Yee Tui long time ago. Now it was late evening and the darkness was filling his sight. The gray clouds covered the sky, the moon somewhere behind it. He was first supposed to meet Tigress tomorrow, but he had hurried. Why wasting time?

He would just stay in the cave, maybe sleep again, so he could be ready for tomorrow. For the long way back to his parents. But time would go faster when his best friend was with him.

He was sure that she would follow him. It would be ridicules if she didn't. Why should she pick a place where nobody cared about rather than the family that loves her?

His parents really loved her like their own child. He could see it on them. They were looking forward to meet her again, the little tiger-girl that they had taken care of many years ago.

He had met Mang on the way. They hadn't talk that much, Mang wanted to get home fast as possible. Mang hadn't told Win about how Tigress had saved him. He hadn't wanted that anybody should know that.

Win hadn't told his brother that Tigress hopefully was coming with him home. He was a worried about how Mang would take it. His older brother wasn't missing her like the rest of the family. So it was better that he didn't know until Tigress actually was back with their parents.

Win sighed of relief when he saw the cave. He would enjoy some time out of the rain. He walked into the darkness and shook his boy for the last time. Then he heard her.

The small whimper. The tiger was lying in a corner, her body formed into a ball. Without even thinking of what he was doing, Win walked towards her and pulled her into a hug. Tigress looked up; finding the green eyes that always could comfort her.

After some time, the silence stopped. "Win." Tigress only managed to whisper. "I can't stay here."

Win understood immediately. "I know. That is why I am here."

Tigress regained her normal strength and sat up. Win was sitting in front of her, looking her in the eyes.

"Can you tell me what happened? It is okay if you don't want."

"No, I… I found of that my master wasn't like a thought. He… He had betrayed me and I can't forgive him for that. I have taken my decision, Win. I will go with you. I will live with you and your parents again."

"They are waiting for you. They had been waiting in twenty years."

"Win, do I bring all of you in danger?" She needed to ask. The question was haunting her.

Win stared at her, shocked. "No! How can you think that?"

"I am just feeling selfish. What if any of you got caught because of me?"

"You would be surprised if you knew how safe we actually are. We are not helpless, Tigress."

"But…"

"Tigress, listen to me. We are safe. Stop worrying about it." First now he noticed her dirty fur. There was dried mud everywhere. "Looks like you have been out in the rain."

She gave him a small smile. "Have you even looked at yourself?"

True enough, he was also a victim to the rain. Not as bad as Tigress, who had been lying in the mud, but his paws was completely muddy. After all, he had been running on them.

"Well, it's a good thing that I am not scared of some mud. What about you? Do you want a mud mask?"

"No thanks, I am fine." She gave a little chuckle. Only a little; she couldn't forget her master's betrayal.

Win stood up, looking out of the cave. "Tigress, I really want to get moving now. I want to get away from the palace fast as possible."

Tigress nodded. "I understand. I am ready. But what about you?"

"It is not long time ago since I took a rest. So come on, I'll show the way."

He came down on all fours and glanced back to the tiger, making sure that she followed him. Two seconds later, and Tigress was by his side.

While they ran through the forest, they didn't speak. Win's eyes were always searching for any possible enemies. It took some time before Tigress remembered that maybe her friends still was searching for Mang. Maybe they were searching for her now.

Her throat started burn at the thought of her friends. The friends that she was leaving. But… But it wasn't her fault. She couldn't be in the palace more. Her master had forced her. It was his fault. He and that wicked leopard. Everything had been fine before Chiao Lo came.

Now she was leaving her home. Her master. Her friends.

"Wanna race?"

Win's voice made her to forget it all, and she accepted the challenge. She had to admit; Win was fast. Really fast. But she did not give up. But after over an hours run, she wasn't tired. She was _exhausted_.

"Can we please slow down?"

"Yes! One more minute and I would have collapsed!"

Tigress gave him an annoyed glance. Just one more minute and she could have won! "Couldn't you just have stopped now?"

"Did you really thought that I would have letting you win? Come on, say it!"

Tigress sneered. "Fine. Win wins."

"I just love that sentence! Let's make a deal; we walk the rest of the way!" He didn't wait for her answer, but started to walk instead. Tigress understood him; they were still in the Valley of Peace. But they were getting much closer to the mountains.

While Tigress was staring at the black wolf, she realized something. Maybe she was leaving her friends and her home, but she was not leaving for nothing. She was leaving to be with Win. She was going to get a new home, a new family.

"Tigress, are you coming?" Win was standing patiently on all four legs, looking back at her. She joined him with a smile on her face.

After some time, Tigress could hear the sound of water smacking against rocks. Yee Tui.

It was full night, but to the two travellers' enjoy, the rain was gone. The stars were shown on the black sky, along with the moon. A beautiful sight.

But Tigress' eyes were only focused on one thing; Win that was climbing his way down to the river.

"You got to be kidding me!"

Win saw his friend shocked face and stopped. "It's the only way. Okay, there is a bridge, but it's too far away. We would be wasting so much time. And swimming isn't that bad… Uhm, you can swim, right?"

"Of course I can! I am just not doing it!"

"Tigress, I was there for you twenty years ago, I will be there for you know. Please, you want to go with me, right?" He held out his paw. "Trust me, Tigress."

She glanced at the other side of the river. It seemed so far away. Win was right. If they wanted to make it in time, she had to swim. She knew that even she couldn't jump that far.

She slowly walked down to him. Her brain was filled of memories of her nightmares; the cold water, the whispers, the red eyes.

Some water splashed up on her feet. She shivered slightly.

"Are you ready?"

Tigress bit her lip, but nodded.

"One. Two. Three."

They jumped together in the dark water. It was like her nightmare. She was in panic. She was swirling around herself, her paws trying to grab something that wasn't there.

Something strong grabbed her by the arm, pulling her to the surface. When she broke it, she gasped after air.

Win was beside her in the cold water. "I told you I would be there. Come on, we have to swim."

Tigress didn't answered, she simply couldn't. She was having big trouble by forcing her teeth from chatter. The water was so cold.

Win was some meters in front of her, the moon made the water on his black fur to sparkle. Tigress pulled herself together and swam after him.

Her limbs felt stiff, but she forced herself to move them. She thought that swimming was a nice way to relax, but when it soon was winter, it wasn't the most relaxing swim.

She was nearly screaming of happiness, when she felt solid rock under her paws. In her haste to get up from the water, she slipped. Lucky for her, Win was there to grab her paw once again and pull her the last way up.

They stood there, panting, before Tigress blurted out.

"Last time we ever do that!"

"So you are scared of water!"

"Do you want me to push you back in the river?" Tigress growled.

Win took some steps away from her, just to be safe. He knew better than challenge the angry tiger right now.

Before Tigress could react, the black wolf shook his body like he had done the night before. Water was flying around him. Win was happy to get rid of his burden, but there was someone who wasn't…

"Win!" Tigress was already dripping wet, so getting even more water on her body wasn't helping her mood.

"Tigress, don't yell. You are going to reveal us!"

"You could at least have warned me!"

"Tigress, please calm down!"

"Fine, but didn't you say that when we were over Yee Tui we would be safe?" Tigress murmured irritated. She was tired, hungry and freezing. She glanced enviously at Win's long fur. He was lucky to be able to keep himself warm on that way. She only had her short, striped fur, that couldn't work like Win's black fur.

"Well, yes. But let's get moving. I know a place where we can rest. It's not so far away from here." He gently pushed her towards the dark forest.

"Great, more running!" Tigress mumbled sarcastically.

She took a last glance back and sighed. She was really leaving the Valley of Peace. Her friends were somewhere on the other side of the river and she was on this side, far away from them.

"Bye," she whispered softly, before turning away.

* * *

><p><em>She was surrounded by water once again. Soundless screams for help was formed by her mouth. Her eyes were flashing in panic, trying to find some way to escape. <em>

"_Tigress." Someone was calling her name. She was fighting the water, while trying to get to the person. Suddenly, the water let go of her, allowing her to move her body. She pushed herself towards the voice, towards the safety. She moved herself towards something warm, trying to escape all the cold. _

Win looked surprised at the tiger that was burying herself into his fur. He could feel her claws scratching his skin, but he didn't care.

He remembered the time she was sick; she had been talking about having nightmares. But he hadn't imagined that they had been so bad.

He could feel his heart ached, when he imagined all the nights she must have been fighting those alone. But now she wasn't. He was there.

He had tried to wake her by calling her name, but it hadn't worked. Instead he tried to comfort her. Pulling his arms around her, he slowly made her to calm down.

With soft eyes he looked at the sleeping tiger in his arms. Right now, he was feeling that he was her protector. Nothing should happen to her. He would make sure of that.

* * *

><p>Tigress woke up by sunlight on her face. She was confused; how long time had she been sleeping? A single glance on her surroundings, she immediately forgot all about sleep.<p>

Tigress was lying up against Win, head on his chest. He was still sleeping; she could feel his regular breathing.

One question was in Tigress' head; how had she ended up here?

She remembered her nightmare; she had been moving herself towards something warm. Apparently, the warm thing had happened to be Win.

She slowly slipped out of the wolf's arms, making sure that he was still sleeping. She crept away from their sleeping spot; a nice place with trees surrounding them.

She walked to the nearby lake; it was close enough that she still could see the wolf's sleeping form. She took a little drink before looking at her reflection. This time there wasn't a snow leopard in the lake; no, there was a familiar tiger. She was thin, but muscles were visible under the fur on her trained body. Stripes were covering her in a perfect pattern. The amber-eyes were showing curiosity.

Tigress looked closer. Was this how other people were seeing her? Were they thinking that she was pretty? For the first time in her life she asked herself that question. She had never cared about that before. Her life had just been training. But now, in the start of her new life, she was caring about it.

Lost in her thought, Tigress didn't notice Win until his reflection showed up beside hers.

"Did you lose someone in the water?" he asked with a smile.

Tigress shook her head. "No, I actually find myself," she said with a smile.

* * *

><p>It was after sunset when Tigress saw the first sign of the wolves. She was tired after the long trip through the mountains and her stomach was begging for food. Win had been lucky enough to find some berries and peaches, but that didn't hold the whole day.<p>

When a figure leaped down of a tree, Tigress had immediately taken her fighting stance. A growl escaped her throat, but with answered with a laugher.

She glanced over to Win that was laughing with the mysterious intruder. A closer look showed that it actually was a gray wolf.

She looked at him, then back to Win, then to the wolf again.

Win laughter died slowly. He smiled calming to Tigress that had realized that she wasn't going to fight the wolf.

"Don't worry, Tigress. I am not as dangerous as I seem," the wolf said, with a sparkle in his eyes.

"Oh Feng, you have never seemed dangerous," Win said, before the two wolves broke into laughter again.

Feng stepped forward and shook the stunned Tigress' paw. "As you probably guessed; I am Feng. We actually met when you were in the village twenty years ago, but don't think that you remember me. I was one of all the wolves that you showed Kung Fu. I didn't mean to scare you; it was just my turn to stand guard."

"Stand guard?"

"I told you, Tigress, that we aren't helpless. We have guards all around our camp place. No one can sneak up on us. And then we have the spies…" Win told the tiger.

"Spies?"

"I will tell you later. Uhm, Feng? Do the others know that we are coming now?" Win said, while changing subject.

"They had been waiting for you all day. Argh, why do I always have to stand guard when the fun is happening? I am going to miss the party!"

"Party?" Tigress felt very lost. She hadn't expected something like this.

Feng sent her a smile. "We wolves celebrates when one of our own returns. You better go now; Hsueh and Heuen can't wait to see you, Tigress."

Win lead Tigress further into the forest, waving back at Feng. Before Tigress lost the gray wolf of sight, she heard him yell, "Save some food to me, Win!"

Both Tigress and Win couldn't help but chuckle. Then Tigress remembered something. "A party?"

"You didn't really think that we wouldn't celebrate, did you?"

"I am not that much for parties," Tigress murmured.

Then she saw light ahead. Small torches were lighting up at least twenty tents. Children were running between big bags that Tigress guessed contained clothes, food and tools. She spotted some boys training Kung Fu in the outskirts of the camp. A couple of some older wolves were sitting near a campfire, probably making food.

"Tigress!"

In the next she was buried in white fur. Tigress couldn't see, but she knew who it was.

"Hsueh."

"Tigress."

They just stood there in long time, no words spoken. They didn't need it; even though the words were unspoken, they both knew them.

Finally, Hsueh pulled the tiger away from her, studying her closely. "Oh, if you knew how much I have prayed for you to come back. Now let me see you. Beautiful like always, but too thin. You need to eat some more."

Tigress smiled, while having tears in her eyes. Tears of joy, of course.

A golden figure was now standing behind Hsueh, his paw laid on her shoulder.

"You must be a little bit disappointed, Hsueh. She is still not wearing a dress," he said kiddingly.

"Heuen!" Tigress said, before she was pulled into a bear-hug. When she nearly was running out of air, he let go of her.

"We have so much to talk about, Tigress," he said with an emotional voice.

"But first you need to have some food. You must be starving. But luckily for you, we have soup ready for you," Hsueh said, before pushing Tigress closer to the camp fire.

Tigress managed to see Mang that was standing in the shadows with a dark look on his face, before Win blocked her sight.

He whispered into her ear, "Let the party begin!"

* * *

><p>Tigress was standing in the shadows, looking at the dancers. She had got plenty of soup; it had painfully reminded her of Po. But the thought disappeared again, when a new couple of wolves came to talk with her. Tigress had (to her horror) been the party's center of attention. Everyone wanted to talk with her. Everyone except Mang. She hadn't seen the brown wolf since her arrival, but he was probably sneaking around somewhere.<p>

Now the dance had started, and many were out having fun with each other. Some of the wolves had a talent with instruments and the music was alluring. Tigress had never heard music like theirs before. Tigress liked watching them, she didn't need to dance. She was a warrior, not a dancer.

A group of girls spotted the tiger, and was rushing towards her. Tigress raised an eyebrow; she liked children, but what were they up to?

"Why are you not dancing?" one of them asked with big eyes.

Tigress tried to smile back, but she was not feeling comfortable with the situation. "I don't really dance."

"You can't dance?"

"We can teach you!"

They were all nodding in agreement. Well, not all; Tigress was actually looking a bit scared.

"Uhm, no thanks girls. I just think that I will watch you dance," Tigress tried, sounding.

"She doesn't have a dance partner!" one of the older girls said. Hysterical giggling broke out among the girls. Tigress knew what they were thinking; dance with a boy and you might as well have kissed him.

"Win can dance with her!"

"Let's find him!"

Tigress was so stunned that the girls were far away, before she could pulled herself together.

"Girls, wait! Please!" She ran between dancers, getting glance from many. Not angry glances, more like eyes filled with laughter. After all, a tiger running after some wolf-girls wasn't something you saw every day.

She spotted the kids running behind a tent. Growling mentally, she followed them. She stopped suddenly when saw that it was too late. The girls were talking with Win; Tigress was too far away to hear what they were saying, but she was sure that the best thing she could do was to flee before he saw her. Again, too late.

The black wolf was walking towards her, the girls giggling behind him. Tigress just stood there frozen; her eyes scanning for anyway to escape.

Win, without hesitation and with a smile on his lips, bowed to her and said,

"Miss Tigress, will you give me the honor and dance with me?"

"Win, I can't dance!" Tigress whispered, while he pulled her towards the other dancers.

"That wasn't my question. Come on, have some fun."

"But…"

"Stop worrying, Tigress. You are going to be fine."

He lead her gently out to the others and swayed her to the rhythm of the music. After some time, Tigress felt how the music made her to move her body on her own.

"You see? It's not that bad."

"Win? Thanks."

"For what? The dance?"

"For everything."

They continued like that, enjoying the music. A brief thought about how her friends in the palace had reacted on her disappearing, destroyed Tigress' calm a second. But a look on Win and she forgot it again.

"Tigress, can I borrow you for a minute?"

"Huei Woo!" Win and Tigress said in unison.

Tigress hadn't seen the gray wolf at her arrive; Heuen had said that he was busy with planning. Tigress had leaved it with that and hadn't asked more.

Now Huei Woo was standing in front of them, actually disturbing their dance. Tigress felt a little nervous; when Master Shifu asked her for a minute, it was mostly because she had done something wrong. But when she saw Huei Woo's friendly face her worry disappeared. Leaving Win, she followed the big, gray wolf.

He led her into the biggest tent; it was obliviously the leader's tent. And that means that it was Huei Woo's. Swords, bows with arrows and other sorts of weapon where standing outside the tent. Some torches were lighting up the entrance.

Inside there was some strange looking chairs. Tigress guessed that it was tree stumps covered with blankets. It was actually pretty smart; of course the wolves couldn't travel with big furniture. There was no table, but the tree stumps could probably be used like one.

The tiger and the wolf sat down in front of each other.

"So Tigress, are you enjoying your time with us so far?"

"Absolutely, it's a lot different than in the Jade Palace. "

Huei Woo chuckled a little. "I can imagine that."

They were interrupted by a female wolf looking inside the tent. Huei Woo nodded to her and she walked inside for bringing them some tea. Before she left, she turned to them and said, "If you need anything, then I am right outside."

When they were alone again, Huei Woo looked closely at Tigress.

"Well Tigress, I think it's about time I'll tell what I didn't twenty years ago."

"Why you are banished?" Tigress asked quickly.

Huei Woo nodded. "But first, Tigress, I want you to tell me what others have told you."

"Chiao Lo said that you have been stealing. He also said something about ravaging and murder. But that isn't true, is it?"

Huei Woo sighed. Tigress remembered the first time she met him; he had allowed her to sit on his lap.

"You must understand, Tigress, that everyone have their different story. Chiao Lo told you one thing, I will tell you something else. But it's up to you to decide which one there is right for you."

He paused, Tigress waiting for him to continue.

"We wolves have always been different to other people. Our ways to live have always been different. Before we were banished, we usually lived a little outside the villages. Just to be in peace. But you see, Tigress, being different isn't easy."

"Believe me, I know."

"You have always been a bit special, Tigress. But being special isn't always a bad thing. Well, we wolves have always had some special rules. If one of our own does something unforgivable, then we have no choice but… You have already seen how we are like one big family. We look after each other. But we have strict rules and if you break them, you have to leave the family. There are no exceptions."

"But if you have such a rule, then how would any of you do any of those horrible things?"

"There is always some that can't control themselves. Not many, but some few are enough. The rumors started and you can guess the rest… Soon we were a feared people. If anything bad happened, they blamed us."

"I am sorry to interrupt you, Huei Woo, but I have to ask; why does Chiao Lo hate you that much?"

"It is not a happy story, Tigress. Chiao Lo's family has never been so understanding with us. That murder that he talked about was actually his own dad, Chenglei. Some of our kids where down in the village when he saw them. He started to yell at them that they have to disappear before they were going to regret it. One of our older boys was with the children. When he saw Chenglei threatening them, he couldn't control himself. An arrow through the neck ended Chenglei's life."

Silence laid in the air, before Tigress finally spoke.

"But didn't people see how he threatened the children?"

"You have probably seen have powerful Chiao Lo can be. None of them dared to say something against him. The murder of Chenglei became the end of our time in the villages. My father died only some days after the murder and I was the next to be the leader. Chiao Lo challenged me and I lost the fight. I was lucky enough to escape alive. I gathered my people and we disappeared before anyone could do more harm against us. You know that we found the cave and built our underground-village. We have been in peace since; only some was unlucky enough to get caught by Chiao Lo. But the village remained safe. Chiao Lo will never forget the murder of his father; he will do anything to destroy us."

"Why did you leave the village? Win said that you were on a trip, but are you not coming back to your village?"

Huei Woo thought about his answer for a moment. "No, we will not return. We are going to find a new place to live."

Tigress sensed that she shouldn't ask more about this subject right now. But there was another question that was haunting her.

"Huei Woo, I overheard Master Shifu and Chiao Lo talking together. They mentioned a prophecy that they thought was about me. They said something about a power… And that I could bring China in danger. I need to know more about this. Have you heard the prophecy?"

The gray wolf looked uncomfortable. After a deep sigh, he looked her directly in the eyes.

"Tigress, I…"

Suddenly, a wolf came into the tent, panting and gasping after air. "Huei Woo, I am sorry to interrupt, but we have some important news from one of our spies. He is waiting for you outside."

Huei Woo quickly stood up. "Tigress, stay inside. I will soon be back." Then he left the tent, leaving her alone.

Tigress was stunned. She was so close to find out more about the mystery, and then this happened! She deserved to know this prophecy! If it was about her….

After some minutes Huei Woo entered the tent again. Tigress couldn't find out what he was thinking; his face didn't show any emotions.

"Tigress, I want you to go back to Hsueh and Heuen. They will tell you about the situation. We will resume our talk later."

He gently pushed her out of the tent before she could say anything against it. Some other wolves went past her, entered the tent. Tigress guessed that there was going to be a meeting.

Okay, so she had to find Hsueh and Heuen. Lucky for her, they had showed her their tent when she arrived. The party was nearly over; people had begun to gather themselves in their tents.

After some minutes, she made her way to their temporary home. Heuen was standing outside, waiting for her. The light from the torches made his golden fur to look like red flames.

"Huei Woo sent me."

"Come in, Tigress. I think that this is something you want to know."

Hsueh was sitting inside. She smiled to Tigress when she walked in. Tigress took a seat next to her.

"I don't know how much Huei Woo already have told you." Heuen started.

"There was one that said something about one of the spies had some news."

"We have some spies in the Valley of Peace."

"Really? I haven't seen any!"

Hsueh chuckled. "That is because they are good spies."

"One of those spies has been keeping an eye on the Jade Palace."

"Have anything happened to my friends?" Tigress asked, fear in her voice.

"No, they are fine. It is actually you that is in danger."

"What do you mean?"

"After what our spies have heard, you have been kidnapped by us."

"What? I am not kidnapped, I left!"

Heuen sighed. "Yes, but you didn't exactly told them in the palace that you did it. They had been told another story. Apparently, Chiao Lo found your room destroyed, clearly signs after a fight. And after you didn't show up, you must have been kidnapped."

"Did they actually believe him? It's him that has done all the things to my room, I just know it!"

"But they don't! They trust him, Tigress. They believe him and we can't do nothing about it. But what we need to do is to keep us all safe. Shifu and the others are probably searching the forest thin. It is only a question about time before they call help from other villages. And then we have problems."

Tigress was silence for a time, before she asked, "If it can keep you safe, then I will leave."

"Tigress, you are not going to leave! That is not an option! Huei Woo just need to find out how we handle this. Maybe we are moving away from here. I have just got you back, Tigress. And no one wants you to leave. You stay with us. We are going to fix this problem," Hsueh said, before pulling her into a hug.

"I also want to stay with you." Tigress said. Suddenly, she remembered something. She froze completely.

"What is wrong, Tigress?" Heuen asked her.

"Where is Win? I need to talk with him!"

"He is probably somewhere outside."

Tigress only needed to hear that. In a second she leaved the tent, getting confused glances from Heuen and Hsueh.

She ran on all four legs until she finally bumped into Win. He was standing alone, his back leaning up against a tree.

"Tigress, there you are! I have just heard that you have been kidnapped!"

"Win, it's important! Chiao Lo was in my room!"

"Well yes, he totally destroyed it! I hope you don't have a diary, because he has ransacked your room."

"But my leather-bag, Win! He must have found my leather-bag!"

Win looked confused. "Tigress, I don't understand…"

Tigress took a deep breath. "Win, he had found my Dragon-Tear!"

Then Win finally realized it.


	19. Finding Truth

A/N: Back again! Hey! Thanks for reading my story! And for the reviews!

And check out my new story; Behind The Golden Eyes. It is also about Tigress (of course), but it has a family-theme, instead of a friendship-theme like Friends Forever.

And I just couldn't resist. This chapter has a flashback…

This chapter has been rewritten.

**Friends Forever, Finding Truth **

Tigress was back in Hsueh and Heuen's warm tent. Hsueh had made some tea to her, probably to calm her. It work a little, but she just couldn't relax. Her eyes narrowed anxiously and her body was tense.

"You still kept it after all those years?" Hsueh asked amazed.

"Yes, it wasn't a problem to hide it; no one used to enter my room. But I should have hid it better. I never thought that Chiao Lo would…"

"Tigress, it's not your fault. If we should blame anyone it would be that mendacious leopard," Win said, sneering at the last part.

"I don't care whose fault it was; that is not the problem. The problem is that he found it!" Tigress said.

"But are you sure that he is going to use it?" Heuen asked thoughtfully.

Tigress shook her head. "I just don't like the thought of my friends being with that liar now when he has a deadly poison!"

"You think that he is going to use it on them?" Hsueh asked, looking at her with big eyes.

"If they are going to be a problem for him, then yes. I doubt that he will be too scared to kill."

"No, Chiao Lo isn't exactly the most peaceful leopard. But why should your friends be a problem?"

Tigress shrugged at Heuen's question. "If they are against his will, I guess. I don't understand Chiao Lo's brain, only that he will do anything to destroy all of you."

"Do you think that he will use it against you?" Win's question got everybody's attention.

"How?" Tigress asked, not understanding what he meant.

"We all know that the Dragon Tear is known as a witch-herb. If Chiao Lo shows it and says that it's yours, won't you then be in troubles?"

"What do you think he can say? 'Look what found while I destroyed Tigress' room!' He would reveal himself more than he would reveal me. And remember that I am living with you; witch-herbs would be nothing against that!"

"Okay, so you are safe. Then we have nothing to worry about."

"Win! How can you say that? Master Shifu, Po and the others are still in danger," Tigress sneered at him. Some part of her wanted to scream. Why didn't her best friend understand her? Why couldn't he see that this was a big problem?

"Tigress, they don't care about us! Why should we care about them?" Win almost yelled.

"I care about them! And they care about me!" Tigress couldn't just sit down. Now she stood up, glaring down at the black wolf.

"Do they? Then why are you here?" Win growled at her, but quickly realized that he had gone too far. Tigress stared at him long enough to make him see how much he had hurt her. Then she left the tent without a word.

"Tigress!" Win was about to follow her, but his father hold him back. He and Hsueh had remained quiet while the yelling. They had simply not known what to say.

"Let me go! I have to apologize!"

"You need to calm down first. Both you and Tigress are too upset right now to talk. Just give her some time and then she will listen," Heuen said, while making his son to sit down.

In frustration, Win buried his head in his black paws. "I messed up. I shouldn't have said those things. I was just so angry."

"At Tigress?" Hsueh asked, trying to figure out what had gone wrong.

"No! Not at her! At them!" he yelled, pointing towards the way that leaded to the Jade Palace. "Why can't they just leave her alone? Why can't they just leave all of us alone?"

"My son, you must understand that it's more complicated than that. They are Tigress' family…"

"No, they aren't! We are! A family is someone who cares about you! They don't care about Tigress!"

"Then why are they out searching for her? That shows that they care, Win. Tigress grew up with them, she lived with them and she cares about them. We are also her family, but on a different way, Win," Heuen said. Win met his eyes, but looked away quickly.

"I care about her, Dad," the black wolf said quietly.

"I know, and now you have to show her. Go and find her, son."

Win searched for help in his parent's eyes. Then he knew what he got to do. He nodded to them, before disappearing out of the tent.

* * *

><p>The big campfire was only embers when Tigress passed it. Only some few torches were still burning. Most of the tents were dark; people had gone to bed. Though, there were still light in Huei Woo's tent. At the sound of many people's voices, Tigress could guess that they were still having their meeting.<p>

She continued her running without trying to listen to what they were talking about; she didn't have the energy to handle more bad news. It was easier to forget everything when she ran. And that was what she wanted; to forget.

She felt like a coward. Every time someone confronted her she just ran off. She was supposed to be brave, to be a warrior. But sometimes it was just too hard to be a warrior.

The forest became darker as she ran further away from the wolf-camp. She didn't exactly know where she was going. She just needed to get out of the tent. Some part of her wanted to run straight home to the Jade Palace. She would challenge Chiao Lo and defeat him. She would tell everybody the truth about the wolves and then everything would be perfect. But she knew that she couldn't do any of those things.

Finally, she allowed her body to rest. She found a little nice spot with soft grace, just under a tree. Forcing herself to relax, the sleep came mercifully quick.

* * *

><p>"Feng, have you seen her?" Win asked, while gasping for breath. He has been searching through the camp, but hadn't found any signs after the missing tiger.<p>

"Her?" Feng said. He didn't really know what was going on.

"Tigress! Have you seen her?"

"Actually, I have. She ran past me in such a speed that her tail could have been in fire. I didn't think she saw me and I have to stay on my post, so I couldn't…"

"Which way did she go?" Win asked, suddenly feeling how his heart began to beet faster.

"Uhm, that way!" Feng said, while pointing at the place where the tiger had disappeared between the trees. "But, Win, what is going on? Hey, where are you going? Win!"

The black wolf ignored him. He had bigger things to think of; he had to find Tigress. Suddenly, an unwelcome thought hit him. What if she was going back to the palace? Was she leaving him? Did she choose them over him?

He remembered the day he had been in her bedroom. The day where he had _seen_ her. She had forgiven him that time. But would she do that now? He prayed that she would.

Stars were shining on the dark sky above him. The air was freezing; a sign that winter was coming closer. Where was Tigress?

Under a tree, lying on the ground was a tiger. She was sleeping peacefully, unaware that he was looking at her. She seemed so helpless and innocent; she looked so little when she slept like this. Win felt his heart ached when he thought about how much he had hurt her. Him that was supposed to be the one she could trust. Her best friend.

He would apologize to her, but not now. He didn't want to wake her. He carefully laid himself next to her, so close that their fur touched. But luckily, she didn't wake.

With one last glance on his tiger friend, he slowly drifted into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>"What do you think you are doing?"<p>

Win snapped his eyes open by the yell. He looked confused around; the weak sun was shining through the trees. They must have slept all night. His parents were probably worried, when they haven't come home yet. But Win had another problem to think about now. And that problem was a very angry Tigress.

"Answer me!" she sneered. She had obviously not forgotten their fight last night.

"I was looking for you and then I fall asleep…"

"Well, you found me now! What do you want?"

The black wolf sighed and looked her into the eyes. "I want to apologize."

Silence. She wasn't going to make it easy for him. He sighed again. "I shouldn't have said that last night. I lost my temper and I let it out on you. I am sorry. Can you forgive me?"

He tried to be brave and sent her one of his smiles. He hoped that it didn't make her angrier.

Tigress stared and the ground and muttered, "I am horrible to be angry at you."

"So that's a yes?"

"Fine, I forgive you. I probably also lost my temper a little."

Win chuckled, happy that it was going well. "A little?"

"Don't push it!" Tigress sneered. She was still not completely calm, but a lot happier to have her best friend back.

Suddenly, her face changed. It became confused and tired. "What are we going to do, Win?"

The wolf was surprised by her whisper. "What do you mean?"

"It all! I mean with Master Shifu and the others searching for me. And Chiao Lo searching for you. What are we going to do?"

"I think that we have to move. Not that it means so much; we were going to move again anyway. That's why it's good we have our tents. You know, so we can move around easily."

"I get it. But where are we going to live then? We better have to get far away from the Valley of Peace; I don't want them to find us."

Win didn't answer for a long time. Tigress looked worriedly at him. Had she said something wrong?

Finally, he spoke. "Uhm, I am sure that Huei Woo knows what to do," he said, while rubbing his neck anxiously.

"But what should I do, Win? I can't just leave my friends in the danger."

"So you want to go back?!" Win barked at her. Tigress took some steps back. She shook her head.

"No, Win. I want to stay here, but-"

"But what?!"

Tigress had never seen Win so mad. His usually sparkling, green eyes were now stabbing her. His mouth was pulled back into a sneer and for the first time in her life, Tigress wondered how sharp his claws must be.

But Tigress never backed away from a fight; no matter what kind it was. Maybe it was because of temper.

"They need me, Win! They don't know what that insane leopard can do!" she shouted back.

"And what are you going to do? Run back to them, tell them all the truth and just expect that they will believe you? Or you can try challenging Chiao Lo? Then you will end up dead and I will be the one to blame!"

Tigress looked at him in disbelief. "What's wrong with you?" she demanded him to answer.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? Why can't you just see what's wrong?"

Tigress walked closer at him, suddenly not angry any more. "Win, tell me what's bothering you. I am your best friend. You can trust me, I promise. Just tell me."

The black wolf sighed. "It's just… I don't want to lose you to _them_." A growl escaped his throat, but Tigress decided to ignore it.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want you to choose them over me! He doesn't deserve it! He doesn't deserve you!"

"He?"

"Shifu! Can't you see what he had done to you? The way he has been treating you? Why did you run away that night twenty years ago? Why did you run away now?" He was yelling now, but his voice was strong and solid.

"You don't…"

"Understand? But you told me, Tigress, you told me that he had betrayed you. You told me that you couldn't forgive him. So why do you want to go back?"

Tigress was stunned. She had never seen Win behave like this. But she knew that he was only trying to make her realize something; something she had been avoiding to think about.

"He saved me, Win. He saved me from the orphanage."

"But didn't I also save you?"

"I don't want to leave you. I just want them to be safe." She finished the sentence with a sigh. She closed her eyes for a minute, before meeting Win's eyes. "I can't bear the thought of them being hurt because of me."

"It is time that you must face what your master have pulled you through, Tigress. He has been treating you like dirt. Has he ever said that he was proud of you? Has he ever said that you were good enough?"

"Be quiet! I don't want to hear it! Be quiet!" Tigress had childishly put her paws upon her ears; trying to keep away all sound. Her heart was beating like she just had been fighting. Small sneers and growls came from her throat.

When she looked up, Win was standing in front of her. He gently moved her paws from her ears. She gave him a 'what-do-you-want-now-look'.

He sighed, but didn't let go of her paws. "I am sorry, but you needed to hear it."

Suddenly, Tigress wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. She looked curiously at him. "I never thought you could hate someone. I know that you have never liked Shifu, but not that you really hated him."

"Wow, you didn't call him master! My talk must have helped you!" The black wolf chuckled.

"You know that if you weren't my best friend, I would have hit you."

"And now I can recognize you." He rubbed his fur on his neck. "Uhm, I am sorry that I yelled at you. I only want you to be safe."

"I understand. But just so you know; I can take care of myself," Tigress said, before letting him go.

"But you are not good at swimming," he muttered, but unfortunately for him, Tigress heard him. "Uhm, just kidding!" he said to avoid any more problems.

"And back to the first question; what are we going to do now?"

"Well, I have to tell my parents that we are okay. They must be worried that we haven't come back yet. And mom is probably going to kill me for letting you sleep on the ground."

"Poor you." She gave him a little smile.

"Don't worry, I am going to live. I hope so… Well, are you going with me or…?"

"I think I need some time alone. There are some things that I have to think about," she said, without leaving her eyes from his.

He nodded to her. "I understand. What about that we meet here again about noon?"

Tigress looked at the sun. It would be about three hours. "Alright. I'll see you there. Don't be late," she added with an evil smile.

She turned away from him, starting to walk into the forest. But she stopped immediately, when she heard Win spoke up.

"Tigress, you are not going to leave, right?"

Without looking back to him, she answered with an empty voice, "No, I am going to stay with you."

Win didn't ask further, so she just leaved him there.

Tigress just walked; she had no idea of where she was going. Her mind felt like it was full of fog. Different thoughts and memories just passed by in a short second.

Her body felt numb and her head was aching. Her promise to Win was like an echo inside of her. What had she done? Could she really just abandon her friends? The night when she had left them, it had felt easy. But now…

She knew that she to choose. It was either the Jade Palace or the wolves. And now she had taken her decision. She couldn't leave Win.

But was Shifu really that bad as Win said.

"_She reminds me of Tai Lung." _

"_I can and will not tell her about it all." _

"_It would hurt me, but my duty is to keep China safe." _

Shifu had said that. Her own master had said that. No, he wasn't her master any more. She had left him and she wouldn't go back.

Her golden eyes caught some movements around her. Around the trees shadows were dancing. Dark figures were flying around, without touching her. Tigress shivered, but remanded calm. The red eyes that she had seen before had been worse than that. And the eyes had disappeared after some time, so why should these shadows not?

Feeling uncomfortable with the situation, Tigress increased her speed. Everything around her became a blur. She managed to control her breath; breathe in, breathe out, breathe in…

Maybe all this was a side effect of using witch-herbs. Like seeing nonexistent things. Or it was just her brain that had gone crazy. The best thing she could do was just to wait for it to disappear.

Tigress wondered what her friends were doing right now. Probably out searching for her. They must be so worried for her. Tigress felt a spark of anger inside her. Shifu wouldn't be worried. He had never been. He didn't care about her.

* * *

><p>… <em>Little Tigress glanced anxiously at the closed door. In her paw she had a little stone, a gift to her master. Master Shifu had given her a day off; and she had spent most of it by searching for something special to give him. <em>

_She had remembered how happy she had been when Win had given her the stone. It was only two months since she had returned to the palace. Two long months. _

_Tigress had promised that she would change Master Shifu. She would make him warm and nice. She would make him smile. She wanted him to be proud of her. To forgive her for running away. _

_After taking a deep breath, she opened on the door. Her steps nearly echoed in The Hall of Warriors. The red panda master was meditating in the middle of the hall. He opened one of his eyes and sighed. He slowly stood up and walked towards the little tiger. _

"_Yes, Tigress?" he said as gently as he could. Master Oogway had been talking with him about the young student. He had to treat her less harshly. After she had come home again, Tigress had seemed so little and sad. He had never seen her cry; she was too determined to be a warrior to let anyone to see her tears. But she always avoided eye contact. Like she was scared of him. _

_The student bowed to him, eyes not leaving the ground. She straightened her back, took a breath and held her paw towards Master Shifu. When she opened her paw, she revealed a little, round stone. He stared confused at it. _

"_It's a gift, Master. A gift for you." She carefully laid it in her master's paw. Shifu examined it with his eyes. It was just a regular stone. There was millions of it outside. What was so special with this one? _

_Realizing that he was going to hurt his student's feelings if he refused to take it, he thanked her. _

_Tigress' face was glowing of proud, happy to see that her master liked her gift. But then Master Oogway arrived. _

"_Shifu, I just received a message telling that a nearby village has troubles." The old turtle smiled at Tigress that bowed to him. She knew what was going to happen next. Master Shifu would leave to help the village. She would have to stay home, because she wasn't trained enough to handle a mission, and Master Oogway would stay home to look after her. _

"_Yes, Master. I will go now." Master Shifu left the hall quickly. _

_Master Oogway wished him good luck, knowing that the red panda probably would be home already tonight. Shifu was a great warrior, but he still had a lot to learn. Especially about his student. Little Tigress was looking up to him. Oogway wished that Shifu could see how much his student admired him. _

_And talking about Tigress… The old turtle turned around to find the little tiger sitting on the ground. She was hugging her knees and was trying to bury her head in them. _

_Master Oogway walked over to her, trying to see what was wrong. _

"_Tigress, what's bothering you?" He said, leaning his head close to her. _

_The little tiger finally looked up, eyes shining emotionless. Oogway could see that she hadn't cried, but she was definitely not okay. He discovered that she had an object that she_ _desperately clenched her paw around. Oogway gently forced her finger open and found a little, round stone. _

_The stone she had given Master Shifu as a gift. The stone that Master Shifu had left on the floor in his hurry. The stone that Master Shifu had forgotten all about… _

* * *

><p>Tigress finally slowed down. The shadows were gone. Her mind was clear again. The decision was set. She was going to stay with Win. She was going to live a new life. She was going to forget her old life. Simple as that.<p>

Suddenly, a figure was in front of her. She stopped running immediately. The brown wolf couldn't be mistaken.

"Mang."

"Hello, Kitty. Out on a picnic with my brother, are we?" he said darkly.

Tigress growled. This was the bad thing about staying with the wolves: the evil brother. She hated him. He was always pushing her limits.

"Someone has a short temper, but I guess I have to deal with it."

"I wish that I had more time to talk with you, Mang, but I have to go," Tigress sneered. She walked past him, pushing his shoulder in the process.

"You are going to see my lovely brother, aren't you?"

Tigress stopped shortly, but then she continued without answering. She heard Mang chuckle.

"He still hasn't told you."

Tigress immediately turned around, staring at him with big eyes. "Told me what?" she sneered.

Mang smiled, walking closer to her. "Do you even know why we are here?"

"Win said that you were on a trip." Tigress hated that it came out as a whisper.

"Let me say it this way: my brother lied."

Tigress' eyes turned into slits. "Win doesn't lie; you do."

"Do you want to hear the truth or not? We didn't come here just for a trip. That we came near the Valley of Peace wasn't an accident."

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe I shouldn't tell you. After all, all the others didn't. They just lied for you to make it easier," Mang said, while looking at his claws.

"Tell me!" Tigress yelled. She couldn't handle when people hide something for her. Shifu had done it and now… Win?

"Calm down, Tiger. If you want to hear the truth, then fine. We are here to fight. We are here to take what belongs to us back. We are here to take over the Valley of Peace."

"You are lying!"

"No, I am not. I am the only one that is not doing that. Haven't you seen our weapon? Did you think that they were only for decoration? It wasn't a mistake that your friends found the footprints. We wanted to make sure that Shifu would call Chiao Lo. He is going to pay for what he did. They are all going to pay!" he shouted, eyes flashing with excitement.

Tigress shook her head, this couldn't be happening. The wolves couldn't be here to destroy her friends' home. Her earlier home.

"That's why Win was so upset about that you have to come with him. He wanted you to be out of danger when we will attack. You didn't think that, did you? You have never imagined that we actually wanted revenge? How pathetic."

"Shut up!" Tigress' body was now shaking. This was just too much. She knew that she had taken a decision, but she hadn't known that her new family would attack her old one. She couldn't handle such a choice.

"Don't you like the truth, Tigress? Don't you like that your boyfriend has been lying to you? I like to see the look on your face when we force Shifu to bow for us. Finally we are going to be respected again!"

"I said shut up!" Tigress twirled around, sending a powerful kick to Mang's stomach. He flew backwards, before landing on the ground. He quickly sprung up, gasping after breath. His eyes were glowing evilly, and on his face was a smile that told that he wasn't going to be nice.

"I don't understand what my brother sees in you. I mean, who can fall in love with a tiger?"

Tigress could feel how the blood left her body. "What?"

"You haven't noticed? It's pretty obviously! The only thing he can talk about is you; even in his sleep he is murmuring your name!"

"We are just friends."

"Right," Mang said sarcastically. "Like a friendship could survive twenty years with only seeing each other a couple of times. Everyone can see that there is something going on between you two! But I am guessing that it's over now, when you know the plan and all that."

"You are pathetic," Tigress sneered, taking some steps back. What he said couldn't be true, could it…?

"Says the tiger that betrayed her own master. I am sure that Shifu would be so proud of you right now."

That was it. Tigress couldn't be here a second longer. Without looking at him, she ran past Mang. He just smiled; he knew that he had won.

Tigress ran back at the way the leaded towards the place where she should meet Win again. She had to talk about this with him. And she prayed that he would say that Mang had lied.

But inside of her, she could feel how her world crashed.


	20. To Win Or Lose

A/N: And I am back! Missed me?

No, I don't own Kung Fu Panda, I never have and I never will.

Well… Yeah… I love my flashback… I just get the ideas all the time! So now you can probably guess what this chapter contains…

I want to say thank you to all of you that have reviewed to this story! Thank you so much! 50 reviews that is amazing for me!

Do you know how long time I have been waiting to use this title? 'Cause its long time! Here it comes!

This chapter has been rewritten.

**Friends Forever, To Win Or Lose **

Win impatiently stamped rhythmic on the ground. Tigress should have been here now. What if she had getting lost or…

He shook her head. She was probably just some minutes too late and he was just overreacting. Tigress was a strong girl that easily could take down an enemy, but he just couldn't stop worrying. She didn't know these forests and maybe she was still upset.

His parents were glad to hear that they had become friends again. Of course Win was too. And now he had told what he was feeling about Shifu. To be honest, he had expected that she would have kicked her. Instead she had hugged him. Not that he was dissatisfied with how she had reacted. He preferred not to be kicked. Or hit. Or anything else that could hurt.

Sometimes he wondered of what really happened in the tiger's brain. Was she over her friends in the Jade Palace or not? She could go from being dangerously furious to nearly helpless. But Win knew that it was only when she was around him that she was acting like that.

That was why he was her best friend. Because she could say anything to him, because she trusted him. He cared about her. A lot. And now he had said it to her. Uhm, sort of…

He looked at the gray sky. It was nearly winter now. Win prayed that it wouldn't snow. Sure, snow was nice and fun, but it didn't work when you were trying to hide. Not only because of the footprints, but it wasn't really comfortable to be in a tent under a snowstorm.

Among the wind, there was a smell. Win turned his head towards the scent. A smile spread on his face. Tigress was coming.

As the sound of paws running on the ground became stronger, the excitement did too.

"And you said that I shouldn't be late, Tigress? Did you… Hey, what's wrong?" His smile disappeared when he saw her striped face. Her eyes were confused and were flashing anxiously. Win believed that the fur under her eyes was wet of tears, but he wasn't sure. Though, he knew that something was definitely not okay.

Her golden eyes met his green ones. "I met Mang."

"Oh…" She didn't have to say more. Win could figure out that his brother had said something that had hurt her friend. He was going to talk with him about that later, but now he had to comfort Tigress.

"You know that you shouldn't listen to him, right. He doesn't always think before he talks. Just forget what he said, okay? It was just lies."

"Was it?" Tigress voice was cold and nearly broke. Win looked stunned at her. Tigress shouldn't be like that. She should listen to him, not his brother.

"Tigress, what did he say?" No answer. He walked closer and said with a steady voice,

"What. Did. He. Say?"

The tiger finally looked up from the ground. She bravely met his eyes. "Did you lie for me, Win?"

"What are you talking about?" Win himself could hear that his voice wasn't convincing. Not at all.

"Win, why are you here?" Tigress didn't want to keep it for herself. She wanted the truth, and she wanted it now!

The black wolf tried to avoid the subject. "Well, we agreed to meet each other here for some hours ago," he said while rubbing his neck.

"You know what I mean, Win!" she sneered. She was too tired of excuses right now.

Then, Win realized that she knew and that he wouldn't be able to hide it any more. Mang was going to regret what he had done. The black-furred wolf sighed. "He told you, didn't he?"

It was a confession. Mang had told the truth, unlike Win. Both grief and anger filled the tiger's body. "I trusted you, Win. I trusted you, and you just lie to me!"

"Tigress, listen! Please! I just wanted to protect you!"

"Protect me? From what, Win? My friends?"

"I just didn't want you to be in the middle of all this."

"Then what am I now? You and your family are going to attack the Jade Palace. And I am just standing here, not knowing what to do. Wouldn't you call that being in the middle of this?" Tigress asked, her paws shaking.

"I was a fool, okay! I was the fool that convinced everybody to keep the truth away from you! But I only did it because I care about you!" As he ended his yell, the rain began to pour down. It was nearly like the wolf and the tiger's body were damping of anger. But somehow, the cold rain made them to calm down. There they stood, panting and glaring at each other.

"When were you going to tell me? When we arrived at the palace?" Tigress asked sarcastically.

The black wolf shook his head. "No, I… I don't know. I just thought that the right time to say it just would show up."

"Who would have thought that it will be your brother that would be kind enough to tell me it all, and not you?"

"I admit that I lied to you, but only about this and only to protect you. I would never lie to hurt you, Tigress. I am your friend."

Tigress sighed. This friendship-thing hadn't been the easiest thing the latest time. Chiao Lo coming, thinking that Win had been caught, hearing Shifu and Chiao Lo's conversation, leaving the palace, having a fight with her best friend and now hearing that her new family was about to make a war against her old one. That was such of things that could give her a nasty headache.

"Well, what do you think that I should do now, Win?" she sneered, but did not yell this time. She was still so mad at him; she felt like he had let her down.

"Stay here. Please."

Then Tigress saw how beaten the wolf looked. His eyes were begging for some sort of forgiveness, praying for that she would try to understand. And then she realized that he maybe wasn't the only on that had made mistakes. She hadn't told him about the shadows that were haunting her. She hadn't told him about the red eyes and the rest she had seen. She hadn't told him about the prophecy she had overheard.

Then Tigress' mask crumbled. She slowly fell to the ground. There she sat in the mud that the rain had created, trying to calm herself. Right now she wasn't master Tigress, she was the little girl from Bao Gu orphanage. She didn't know what to do and she needed someone to guide her. But who could?

She barely noticed Win sitting down next to her. Tigress was in her own world and didn't allow anyone to enter. The black wolf didn't try; he knew that she right now had to think. He just wished to be there for her.

When Tigress finally opened her eyes, she was ready to face the world. Shifu, her master, had taught her to never give up. And she wouldn't do that now. She would find out of what was going to happen and then a way to stop it.

She looked Win straight into the eyes, hers glowing with determination. "Tell me everything. Now! You owe me it, Win."

"Fine, you already know the important stuff, but let's start from the beginning. Since we were banished, Huei Woo has been planning how get back again. You know that we would have been killed if we just walked into the valley. So he taught us Kung Fu. And now we are enough warriors to fight back. I and some of the spies arrived at the palace first. We had to make some evidence so Shifu would call Chiao Lo."

"So the howl and the footprint…"

"Was just to make Shifu suspicious," Win finished for her.

"Then what will you do now?"

"Well, the plan was then we were ready, we would attack the palace. Not the village, but the palace. We are not like Tai Lung. I am thinking that Huei Woo will kill that leopard for all what he has done to us, but he hasn't said anything about it. All we know, that we just have to defeat the others masters, not killing. Then we will tell them the truth and if they not will believe, then I think that we will have to send them in prison somewhere."

Tigress looked at him in disbelieve. "Win, that is madness. Even if you can win over them, then the rest of the masters in China will be after you. This will not help."

"Tigress, we have to try! We can't just hide anymore! We are not cowards! We can't just keep doing nothing!"

"I understand, Win, but can you at least try to talk with Huei Woo? I am sure that there are better way to come back than this."

The black wolf glanced at her. "Why don't you talk to him?"

"Because I don't know what to do right now." Tigress sighed. She rubbed her temples. "I need to think. Alone…"

Win chuckled weakly. "You are a tiger that thinks a lot, do you know that? But fine, I will talk with Huei Woo. Maybe he knows more about the plan that he has told us. Shall I go now or…?"

"Yes please. I want this stopped as quickly as possible," Tigress told him with a steady voice. She had her mission and was only focused at that.

Win looked a bit unsure at her. "Tigress, you know that I maybe can't stop this, right?"

The tiger stood up in her full height. "Maybe, but I can."

"Sometimes, Tigress, you are just incredible," Win said, following her example and rose from the ground. Tigress gave grinned at the compliment, suddenly feeling a lot better. She could do this. She could handle problems. She had done it before and she knew that she could do it. Maybe it would be hard, but no matter what, she wouldn't give up. Master Tigress hadn't been left behind in the palace along with her friends. She was still her, and now she was going to prove it.

Win grinned back. "So… What's the plan?"

"You are going to talk with Huei Woo and I am…" Tigress ran out of words. What exactly was she going to do?

Her friend noticed it. "And you are…?"

"Going to figure out what I am going to do."

"Where? In the camp or in the forest again?"

"In the forest. I am best at thinking alone." Tigress replied quickly. She didn't want anyone around her when she was making plans. It annoyed her and she couldn't concentrate.

"And I will go talk with Huei Woo?" Win asked nervous. After all, the big, gray wolf was some sort of master to him. So trying to convince him that they shouldn't follow the plan was not as easy as it sounded.

"Yes."

"Now?"

Tigress slapped her head. "Now, Win!"

"Okay, wish me luck." The wolf started to walk back at the camp once again.

Suddenly, Tigress yelled after him, "Win?"

He turned around, curious after what his friend had to say now. "Yeah?"

Tigress suddenly lost her voice. The thing that she hadn't talked with him about, the thing that Mang had told her. Did Win really love her? Was it was he felt for her? They had promised each other that they would be friends forever. He had promised it…

Just the thought about him being in love with her seemed… Unreal. They were friends, nothing more. Everyone could see that. Mang had only said to make her even more distraught.

Win was her best friend. Finished. End of story. Final dot.

"Nothing. I'll just see you later."

The black wolf stared at his friend that disappeared between the trees, rain making her silhouette blurry. Shaking his head, he let her go. He could talk about it with her later. Now, he had another one to talk with.

The two friends left their talking-place, unaware of the two dark eyes that had been watching them.

* * *

><p>Tigress walked further and further away from the camp and the place where she had met Win again. She was again not sure of where she was going to, she just let her feet lead her. Suddenly she realized that if she continued the way that she waling now, she would end at Yee Tui. Somehow, the river always made a way into her life.<p>

It had brought her to Win. Of course after nearly killing her first. But the person that had become her best friend had saved her. And she had crossed it once again, with Win by her side.

She remembered that when she first had getting to know the wolf, she had become ashamed. Ashamed, because she wasn't a wolf. She was a tiger, a living creature that people had called a monster. She had wished that she was a wolf. It would have made everything simpler. A wolf belonged with wolves. And a tiger…

But where did she belong? Tigress refused to believe that it was the orphanage. No one deserved such a fate. The Jade Palace had been her home for years, but now she had leaved it. But what about Win, Heuen and Hsueh? Could she really belong with them?

Suddenly, a picture came into her mind.

Shifu, Po, Viper, Mantis, Crane, Monkey… Her friends, her family was lying defeated on the ground. And over them was Win, her best friend, with a look in his eyes that scared her. His sharp, long claws were unsheathed, and were now plunging down to kill his enemy…

No! Win wouldn't do that! He would help her with trying to stop this madness! He was probably trying to convince Huei Woo right now… She had to trust him. It was the only thing she could do.

After all, he was her best friend and Tigress owed him her trust. Yes, he had lied for her, but she ad forgiven him. For best friends forgave each other, because they cared…

* * *

><p><em>... Little Win was standing on the rock on all four. The weak light from the torches made his black figure to look so majestic. The tiger looked at him with admiration in her eyes. Then the black wolf did it. <em>

_He lifted his muzzle to the dark ceiling of the cave. And the sound of a howl filled Tigress' ears. She just stared at him, she didn't move and she didn't make a sound, she just listened to one of the most incredible sounds she had ever heard. _

_When he stopped, he turned his head towards his stunned friend. _

"_How did you do that?" Tigress asked, looking at him with big eyes. _

_The wolf laughed a little cocky; he enjoyed this. "I just howled. Every wolf does that! Sometimes, we do it in the same time and we howls so loud, that Huei Woo says that it can be heard outside the village! Try and imagine that! What if you heard some howls from the inside of the mountain?" _

"_Well, first I would check if I had something in my ears," the tiger said teasingly. "Win, can you teach me how to howl?" she asked seriously. _

"_Uhm, sure… First, stay on all your legs. Yes, like that. Then you lift your right front paw." _

"_Why?" Tigress said, while doing what she was told. _

"_Well… Uhm… Just do it. Then look up. No, you have to do it with your head, not only with your eyes! Good. Now, say Aooooo!" _

_The tiger gave her best try. But to her disappointment, it didn't sound like her friend's howl. Not at all. It sounded more like a mix between a roar and a cry of pain. _

"_Maybe you have to work on that," Win said when he had finally made her to stop. "It's Aoooooooooo." The wolf howled perfectly again. _

_After some more failed tries, Tigress gave up. "Why can't I howl?" She sighed deeply. She had really wanted to be able to make that beautiful sound. _

"_I don't know. Maybe it's because that you aren't, you know, a real wolf." _

"_Tigers can't do anything right! They just break things or hurt people or… or…" Tigress was so upset that she couldn't find the right words. Why couldn't she just be like Win? She would rather be a wolf, than a tiger. _

"_Hey, tigers are not destroyers. I know one tiger and she is really nice. Actually, she is my best friend." He fake-growled and jumped on her. They rolled on the ground, playing and laughing, until they ran out of breath. _

"_Maybe," Win said as he was finished panting. "Maybe it's just your special howl." _

"_You think that?" _

"_Yeah, we all howl differently. Believe me. It's just your way to howl." _

_Tigress smiled at him. "So I can howl?" _

"_Of course! You just sound a little different, but there is nothing wrong in that!" _

"_Win, can we howl now? Together?" _

"_Always." _

_And there they stood, the wolf and the tiger, howling at the ceiling, because they couldn't see the moon. But it didn't matter for them. It didn't matter that one of them roared, when the other howled. The only thing that mattered was that they were doing it together… _

* * *

><p>Tigress was now stopped her endless travel. Her sensitive ears had caught a sound. Turning around, she faced the last person she wanted to see right now.<p>

"Mang," she sneered. "I will give you a warning. I need to be alone right now and if you don't leave you are going to make it worse to yourself." Tigress had quit the manners now. The brown wolf didn't deserve any.

Then she saw that Mang wasn't behaving like he used to. A typical Mang was angry, cocky and impolite against her. But right now he was more than just angry. His was showing her all his fangs, his claws were unsheathed and there was fire in his dark eyes. The wolf almost looked mad.

"You!" Mang growled. Flexing his claws, he took a step closer to the tiger. Tigress immediately took a battle stance; she was sure that this time they couldn't just do it with hard words.

"Is it just your task to destroy my life?!" the wolf growled at her again.

Tigress showed him her weapons; her sharps claws and fangs. "Talk for yourself, Mang!"

"Do you even know what you have done? You have blinded them all! You just have to say what you want and then they will give it to you! As it wasn't enough that they actually allowed you to stay! But now, you have bewitched my brother! He is going to help you with convincing Huei Woo! And like all the others, he is going to do what you say! He is going to stop it, the revenge that we have waited for in over twenty-five years, and he is just going to stop it! _I _was his best student! _I _was the one that he trusted most! _I _was the one that was going to help him with finishing our enemies! But you have taken all that away from me!"

When he was finished growling, Tigress was stunned. She hated Mang, but right now she felt sorry for him. She remembered how disappointed she had been when Po was chosen as the Dragon Warrior. Like all of her life's training had been wasted away. But she had forgiven the panda after some time.

The wolf was thinking the same the same as she had done. She could understand him. But she had the feeling that he was not considering forgivingness.

"Mang…"

"You don't deserve to be here. You are only making things worse for us. You should have the same fate as your little master-friends!"

Tigress roared back, knowing that they would have to fight now. Mang was sick of revenge and he would do anything for it. And now he will take revenge on her. Tigress wouldn't allow him to hurt her friends. He would have to get past her first.

"If you as much as lay a paw on them, Mang, I will personally find you and make you wish that you just had stayed home."

The wolf laughed mockingly at her. "Give your best try, Stripes."

Tigress weakly remembered the promise she had given to Win for what that felt eternities since. She had promised that she wouldn't fight Mang. But she had to break it. She had to defense herself and her friends.

She shortly hesitated, considering about the promise. But it was a big mistake. Mang took opportunity and made a kick towards the tiger. Tigress didn't have time to block it, and was sent to the ground. She rolled away to barely avoiding Mang's claws.

Thunder started to rumble and the falling rain became heavier. Tigress jumped up from the muddy ground and once again had to avoid the attacking wolf. She hit him hard, but slightly yelped when he dug his claws into her arm. Taking advantage of her distraction, he kicked her in her ribs, breaking some of them.

Tigress, that was stunned by the pain, couldn't react before it was too late. Mang pushed her to the nearest tree, his paws around her neck. Unable to move, Tigress realized how strong her opponent was. She was losing badly. No wonder why Mang was Huei Woo's best student. She gasped after air, when the wolf's paws tightened around her throat.

As black spots blurred her vision, Tigress went into panic. She wouldn't let herself being killed by Mang. Instincts kicking in, she somehow managed to bury her fangs into his arm. The wolf let out a roar of pain and let go of her.

Tigress fell to the ground, finally getting the needed oxygen. She got up as soon as she recovered and jumped on the wolf that was checking his wound.

The two warriors fought the best as they could, but only one could win. And as the fight stopped, the loser lie beaten on the ground. Tigress slightly opened her eyes, seeing Mang looking down on her. She had lost and she knew it. Tigress could how her blood from her many wounds and scratches mixed with the cold rain.

She waited for the wolf's last attack. But after some time she realized that it didn't came. With her blurry vision she could sense that Mang was gone. He had left her here.

Tigress didn't understand why he hadn't just ended her life. Wasn't it what he had wanted? Had he been thinking that she was as good as dead now? Or maybe, just maybe, he hadn't been able to do it? She suddenly remembered when he had thought that Chiao Lo had caught Win, but instead it had been Mang. Maybe he had felt that he owed her his life?

She couldn't think further, before everything went black for her.


	21. Take The Chance

A/N: So sorry for updating Behind The Golden Eyes when I had left with a cliffhanger. I will just stare at the ground while you scold me… Look over there! Ha, you looked! Now you never gonna get me 'cause I'm the fastest thing you ever seen!

Uhm…. Sorry for that part. I am a bit tired and my mind is… Well, just read the first part again and you will understand what I mean.

Thanks for the reviews! They are always welcomed!

Well, here is the chapter! Wow, that means that there is only four chapters back…

I don't own Kung Fu Panda, only the OC's which are Win, Mang, Hsueh, Heuen, Huei Woo, Chiao Lo, Feng… Did I miss somebody?

This chapter has been rewritten.

**Friends Forever, Take The Chance **

"Tigress! Tigress! Tigress, where are you?"

Win's yells destroyed the silence that was making the forest so peaceful. But Win didn't need peace; he needed Tigress. Something was wrong. He could feel it.

"Tigress!"

No answer. No movements. No tiger. His friend wasn't there.

The wolf concern grew bigger. Tigress was in trouble; he just knew that. His senses told him that something was wrong. But most importantly; Tigress was involved.

First he had tried to find her to tell about his talk with Huei Woo. Now he was trying to find her to make sure that she was safe. It was long time since had left their leader and if he didn't find Tigress soon, the darkness would make it a lot harder. At this time of the year sun went down early.

"Ti…" He stopped in the middle of his sentence. His nostrils caught a scent that filled his eyes with horror. It was the scent of blood.

"Tigress!" Win's yell sounded like a roar, a roar of pain. His speed increased, his four legs were moving so fast that they became a blur. He followed the scent, he just followed the scent. What else could he do?

As the scent became stronger, his fear did too. Behind the blood-smell, there was an unmistakable scent. It was Tigress'. He knew that well now that he would could recognize it anywhere.

And when he saw her, the sight talked for itself. Tigress lie unconscious on the ground, her blood flowing from her wounds. Win was by her side in a second.

"Tigress?" His fingers searched for a pulse and he sighed of relief when he felt it. His paw gently stroked the tiger's cheek. Suddenly, her eyes flew open. She was breathing heavily and she was staring confused around.

"Tigress," Win said her name one more time. Her golden eyes shortly focused on him.

"Mang…" Her voice cracked and her eyes closed again. Win tried to wake her up, but to no use. She had fainted and she couldn't be awakening.

Win glanced at the tiger in his name, thinking about what she had said. She couldn't have confounded him with his brother, could she?

Then he noticed a scratch on her arm. Three long gashes destroyed her striped pattern on her body. Win had seen such a wound before. He had seen it on the defeated warriors that had fought his brother.

He sneered. "Mang." Win could guess what he had done. Though, he didn't want to believe it. How could he ever forgive his brother for nearly killing his best friend?

The sound of footsteps made him flinch. Someone was coming. He was listening carefully.

Win couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could tell by the voices that it wasn't one of the wolves he knew. He froze; unknowing of what to do. Tigress needed help and it would take him too long time to get her to the camp.

"Hey guys, I think I saw something over here!" Win recognized the panda's voice. What was his name again?

"Po, not so loud," a female voice hissed at the panda that Win had found out was named Po. The female must be Viper; he could remember that Tigress had told him about her.

"Sorry. But come on, it's over here!"

Win had to make a choice and he had to make it now. He couldn't help his friends now, but maybe they could… No! He couldn't just let them take her away. But…

They were coming closer. He had to do something.

If Tigress trusted them… Maybe he should. He couldn't save Tigress alone. He needed help. But help from them…? He didn't like the thought. But he wouldn't let Tigress bleed to death.

Before letting go of her, he hugged her close. Then he ran away from the spot, hiding himself behind a big rock so he still could see his injured friend.

The time seemed to stand still, before the four masters of Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior came out of the trees. The shock was in their faces in seconds before it became replaced with worry for their fallen friend.

"Tigress!"

In a flash they were kneeling beside the tiger. Mantis jumped around her, checking her wounds.

"Is she…" Po was looking at his friend with big, worried eyes, fearing the worst.

Mantis glanced at them all. "She's alive, just passed out."

Viper slithered closer to her friend, gently stroking her arm with her tail. "Who could do this to her?"

"Isn't it obvious? The wolves are just as bad as Master Chiao Lo told us," Monkey said, disgust in his words.

Win growled soundless behind his protecting rock. How dared that little, naïve, gullible, stupid monkey?! Like he would do that to his best friend!

"We have to get her back to Master Shifu now. Then we can bandage her up. Come on, we must not waste time!" Viper said to her friends, her eyes not leaving Tigress.

Po silently walked towards his friend, then picking her up. Win flinched involuntarily.

"Poor Tigress," the panda mumbled, looking at her wounds. His fur was soon red by the blood, but it didn't matter.

The warriors started to leave, but then Viper turned around. Her eyes narrowed. Win froze, knowing that she was slithering towards his hiding place. Holding his breath, he prayed that she wouldn't go nearer. Win could nearly feel the snake's eyes burning through the rock and into his.

"Viper, are you coming?" Crane's voice called. Viper leaved the place and followed her friends.

Win slowly stood up. He had been lucky. Now he just hoped that Tigress would be just as lucky as him. Staring at the spot where she had disappeared in the panda's arms, he thought about what to do.

Mang. How could his brother do this to Tigress? To him? Win wanted the truth and it was going to be his brother that would tell him it.

The black wolf didn't stop run time as he ran back to the camp. He didn't get tired, he didn't lose his breath. All he could think about was finding his brother.

How would their parents react? Tigress was something special to the family and when they found out that one of their sons had tried to kill her…

Win found his brother enough far from the camp so nobody could see him. He was bandaging his left arm. Around the wound, blood colored his brown fur. He looked like he had just fought, though he didn't look as bad as Tigress. He was nowhere near it. It was clear that he had been the winner.

The black wolf took a step closer, finally getting his brother's attention. Mang's glanced coldly at him. "Why the angry face, brother? Did your girlfriend dump you?" There were no hints of concern in his voice.

"Mang, I know what you did. I just don't understand why," Win said with an incredible calm.

"That's why I am the older brother. Because I am the smartest."

Win growled. "Why did you do it, Mang?!" he yelled, walking closer to the brown wolf. The brother automatically took a step back.

"Don't you waste your time with wondering about that."

"I asked you a question, Mang! And I want an answer." The two brothers were now in what had been a camp. Everything was packed; the wolves were ready to leave at any moment.

"What's going on here?" Heuen and Huei Woo had entered the scene. Actually, the most of the wolves were looking at the yelling brothers.

"Ask him!" Win sneered, pointing at the brown wolf.

"What's happened to you, son? Your wounds… Have you been in a fight?"

Mang smirked. "You could say that."

Win couldn't take it anymore. He had seen what his brother had done and he had to tell it. "He tried to kill Tigress."

Several gasps could be heard by the crowd that had surrounded the brothers. One of them belonged to Hsueh. "Mang, son, tell me that it isn't true."

"You should be proud. I have just saved you all."

Heuen turned to Win, shock in his eyes. "Where is she now?" He asked, thinking about Tigress.

"With her friends from the Jade Palace. I had to let them take her; she needed medical help," the black wolf told his father.

Huei Woo walked closer to Mang. "Long time ago the council decided that Tigress was a part of our pack. Our family. You know the punishment for attacking one of our own. So why did you do it, Mang?"

The brown wolf growled and turned to the crowd. "Can't you see what she has done to us? She is putting all of our lives in danger! She isn't a wolf, she don't belong here!" He turned to the leader. "And when we had the chance for revenge, she destroyed it all. I know that my brother have convinced you. I must say, Huei Woo, that I never thought of you being weak. But now is the time that everyone shows their truly being."

The wolves were stunned after Mang's speech. Huei Woo was the first that spoke.

"Mang, you have been my student in long time. You have always showed talent for Kung Fu. But now I am thinking that you misusing it. I know that you never have liked Tigress, but this is too far. We _never_ attack our own! You are one of those that give us the bad reputation."

"Maybe you think so, but I am not of that believe. Look around and tell me why we are fleeing again. It. Is. Because. Of. Her!" Mang sneered. "Now we have the opportunity to take revenge, but you are just going to do nothing. Again! I will not act like a coward anymore! And you don't have to worry about kicking me out of the pack, Huei Woo. I will not live with cowards anymore. I am going to leave and I will tell you that I am going to be the mightiest warrior in China!"

Hsueh had tears in her eyes. "My son, why are you doing this?"

Heuen held her back. "Hsueh, it is his choice. If he wants to leave, then I won't stop him. But I beg you, son, to try and think about what you are doing." He looked into Mang's eyes.

"I know what I am doing, father. I am saving myself. And if you aren't strong enough to do it, then it's your problem. But I will not stay here any longer. Goodbye." He started walking away, the crowd moving away so he could go through. He stopped when he saw a sword leaning up against some bags. Without saying a word, he took the weapon and leaved.

His family followed him with the eyes. Hsueh sobbed, her family was falling apart. First Tigress and then Mang. Her husband hugged her, trying to comfort her. Though, she couldn't stop the tears that were flowing from her eyes.

Win watched silently the place where his brother had disappeared. All his life, people had told him that he and Mang were so different from each other. And now it was over. His brother had betrayed him, hurting the person he loved and then he had leaved.

Win didn't thought he was going to see him again. When Mang said such things, it was serious. The black wolf couldn't figure out his feelings. He was mad at his brother for attacking Tigress, but still Mang was his brother. The separation was hard.

Looking at his parents, Win felt lost. What was he going to do now? Maybe Tigress needed him, but if she was back at the Jade Palace…

He then felt a paw on his shoulder. "Are you okay, Win?" The black wolf glanced back to see Huei Woo. Win didn't know what to answer. No, he wasn't okay, but he had to be strong.

"Tigress," he murmured, knowing that the leader would understand.

"Win, you did the right thing. But Chiao Lo can be dangerous to her. You must know, Win, that he has more than one reason to kill her."

"If he as much as touch her I am going to make him into a spotted coat," Win growled. "But how can she be a threat to him?"

Huei Woo sighed. "I don't have the time to tell you about how Chiao Lo's brain works, Win. But I can tell you about a prophecy. But first when we start walking. Come on, get your stuff and call the wolves. We will leave now."

Win glances curious at him. "Where are we going?"

"The Jade Palace. Tigress needs our help and she is going get it."

The black wolf stared at the leader that was walking towards the wolf-warriors, giving them orders. Win smiled a little. Huei Woo knew what to do. Soon he would see Tigress again and everything would be alright.

* * *

><p>Tigress tried to wake up, but her eyes felt like they were glued together. Her head was aching, the same with the rest of her body.<p>

"_Wake up. Tigress, wake up."_

Tigress stopped trying to move her body when she heard the voice. She knew that it wasn't a normal voice; it was more like an echo. It must be one of the voices inside her head. Just great…

"_Wake up!" _

The tiger recognized Win's voice yelling at her. What was he doing inside her head? Argh, she hated this. All of this! The headache, the voices, the feeling of being weak and not being able to wake. Maybe she wasn't hearing voices. Maybe Win was standing just beside her, trying to wake her up.

With the strength that came from the wish of seeing her friends, she finally opened her eyes. But Win… wasn't there.

Instead she spotted Viper with her back against her. Tigress couldn't see what she was doing. The tiger tried to sit up, but fall back on the bad, grunting in pain.

"Tigress! You are awake!" Viper exclaimed when she saw her friend with open eyes.

A little confused, Tigress blinked with her eyes. "Apparently. Where am I?"

"We are back at the Jade Palace. You were unconscious all the way from the forest. We were really worried. It's over a day since we found you."

"Found me?" Tigress asked her friend.

Viper glanced at her with big eyes. "You don't remember?" The tiger shook her head. "You were kidnapped, Tigress, by the wolves. We were out searching for the wolf that Chiao Lo had caught, and then you just disappeared. Your room was whole torn up, so you must have fought… You don't remember any of this, do you?"

Again Tigress shook her striped head. Viper continued. "We tried to find you, but we didn't know where they had taken you. But Master Chiao Lo said that we should cross Yee Tui and we split up. Master Shifu and Master Chiao Lo searched together, but it was the guys and me that found you. You were beaten up and we couldn't wake you. Po carried you back to our camp, where Master Shifu treated your wounds."

"Wounds?" Tigress glanced down at herself. Sure enough, her chest was wrapped in bandages and her body was filled with scratches that looked like they had been cleaned.

"You have some broken ribs, but Master Shifu says that they will heal soon. He also thinks that you must have hit your head pretty hard while you fought. But none of your wounds is deep enough to be stitches."

"What happened after you found me?" Tigress still wanted to know what had happened while she had slept.

"After we fixed you up, we went back to the palace. Po and Master Chiao Lo shifted to carry you."

Tigress blushed a little, but her fur hid it. Being carried wasn't just her thing. Especially not by the leopard she hated.

"Master Shifu said that you needed rest, so we didn't look further after the wolves. Honestly, I don't know what's gonna happen right now. But you need to lie down and take it easy," Viper told her, pushing her gently by the shoulder back to the bed.

Tigress protested. "Viper, I am fine. I am…"

"Going to stay here while I'll get the others," Viper continued for her, holding the injured tiger down. "I am sure that Master Shifu wants to see you. And you must be starving, Tigress! I will get Po to make some food to you." With that she disappeared out of the room, after giving Tigress a strict glance.

Tigress sighed, but did as her friend had told her. Now she remembered. She remembered going to the wolf-village and she remembered her fight with Mang. She was going to tear him apart next time she saw him. And Win… Poor Win that didn't know what had happened.

Wait! Maybe he did. She weakly remembered seeing his face, after the fight with his brother. But where was he now? He hadn't got caught, not after what Viper had told. She prayed that he was safe.

But now she was back with Chiao Lo. Not good, not good. He had lied to her friends, telling them that she had been kidnapped by the wolves. He knew the truth about she and her wolves-friends; he had overheard her when she had saved Mang.

He had the Dragon-Tear. He had stolen it from her. Just great. Now she had a murderous leopard after her with a deadly poisoned herb. And she didn't have someone to believe her. She was alone in this fight. Tigress was sure that Chiao Lo would use the poison against her. How was she going to get herself out of this situation?

Suddenly, the door to her room opened. Her master entered the room. Shifu sighed of relief when he saw her student awake. "Tigress."

The tiger sat up, trying to bow. "Master."

There was a long silence. What should they say? "It's nice to see with open eyes, Tigress. Have are you feeling."

"Not worst. A little headache, that's all," Tigress replied shortly.

The master looked her in the eyes. "Viper told me that you don't remember anything from your captivity. Is that correct?"

"Yes, all I can remember is that I was out searching for the wolf. The next is that I wake up here."

"I see. Do you need anything?"

"I am fine, Master."

"Po will be here soon with some soup. Don't discuss it; you need to eat something after being unconscious in so long time. Understood?"

Tigress nodded and lay back in her bed again. She thought that her master was about to leave, but he remained standing. Opening her eyes, she saw him standing beside her bed. She glanced surprised at the red panda. Shifu hesitated. "I… It's good to see that you are safe, Tigress."

With that, he left her alone. Tigress was stunned. The reason that she had leaved in the first place, was because of her master. But now, he had showed that he cared. Maybe he had been worried. Maybe he hadn't been so cold.

Once again a person entered her room. This time it was Po coming with her food. His fade lightened up when he saw the tiger. "Hi Tigress! It's… Uhm… Are you okay?"

"I am fine, Po. I see that bringing me soup," Tigress said. She was actually hungry, and the scent wasn't helping.

"Yeah… I hope that it is fine. Viper told me to make it and then Master Shifu told me to make you eat it no matter what."

Tigress smirked. "Don't worry, I won't make any troubles."

"Okay…" Po trailed of, a little surprise to see Tigress in this mood. He handed her the bowl with soup, after helping her with sitting up. He stayed with her while she ate.

"Where are the others?" she asked him, while enjoying the meal.

"Well, if Master Shifu hadn't said that we should let you rest, they would have been inside your room now."

"Are they okay?"

"Yeah… We were all really worried for you, but you look much better now than when we found you."

"Oh…" Tigress trailed of. It was pretty weird to talk about these things, especially when her friends didn't know the truth. "Viper told me about how you found me. Thank you for carrying me to the palace."

Po blinked surprised. Tigress was thanking him? She must have hit her head _really_ hard. "Uhm… You're welcome?"

Tigress sighed and lied back in her sleeping position. Her mind was tired, her body was tired. She was exhausted. Closing her eyes, she tried to fall asleep.

Then it hit her! Her stomach became a knot and her throat constricted. If Chiao Lo had a poisoned herb, then it would be easy for him to put it in his victim's soup…

"Tigress, are you okay? You are shivering. Shall I get one more blanket or…"

"I am fine, Po." The tiger finally found her voice. "Do you… Do you know where Master Chiao Lo is?"

"Last time I saw him he was outside, training with his bow. He is really good with that thing!"

So he hadn't been near the soup. That was… good. But only if it was true. Why did she even worry now? If there had been poison in her soup, then there was nothing to do now.

"Po, I want to sleep now. Could you please…?"

"Yes, of course. Viper will check up on you sometimes, just so you know. I'll just leave you alone now. Uhm… Goodnight." He said before walking out of the room, slowly closing the door behind him.

Tigress tried to remember what Hsueh had said about the Dragon-Tear. If you had eaten it, then you had about ten minutes left. Ten minutes wasn't long time.

Her master had told Po to make her eaten it, no matter what. Had Shifu joined Chiao Lo? Was he also after her? Was she a threat to China now?

Her master wouldn't do such thing. He had said to her that he was happy to see that she was safe.

The tiger waited. And waited. And waited…

She didn't feel any different. No pain or what you could have expected if you ate poison. It must be over ten minutes since she ate the soup. Okay, she was safe for now, but for how long?

Her friends would get suspicious if she didn't eat anything, and she couldn't just tell them about the Dragon-Tear. If Tigress knew Chiao Lo right, then he had found out how he could use it.

Tigress plan was simple, but not perfect. She would have to take a chance every time she ate something. If she guessed right, then she would live. If she guessed wrong, then she would die. Not exactly the best plan. But it was the only one she had.

She just had to stay alive until she could sneak out and find Win. Tigress didn't like the situation. Not at all. But she was master Tigress. Of course she wouldn't lose her life to a little herb.

Tigress finally fall asleep, tired as she was.

* * *

><p>The next day was on a way nerve-racking. The dangerous game was on. She only saw Chiao Lo one time when he was standing in the doorway with her friends. She wasn't allowed to leave the room, so she didn't know what the leopard was doing.<p>

Her friends were with her all time, only leaving her alone when she wanted to sleep. Viper checked her wounds and changed her bandages. Little did they know that when she was pretending to sleep, she was out of her bed, training her stiff muscles to the escape.

Maybe they noticed how much she was staring at her food before she ate it. Tigress couldn't really figure out if she was too obviously with it. Her friends only commented it when there was too long time before she started the meal.

Po didn't really make it better. He was sure that she looked too thin after being unconscious in long time, so he came with a lot of soup in little portions many times. Though, Tigress had to admit that when she had eaten it, she definitely felt stronger. And she needed her strength.

She had started to trust the voices in her head. Every time she stared at the food, the voice came again. It was short, but precise.

"_Eat."_

And Tigress did what she was told. If she really was going to live with the voices in her head, then she had listened to them. They had helped her so far and she was grateful.

Now it was evening and time to soup again. Tonight Tigress would leave the palace. Again…

Viper talked with her, but Tigress didn't notice. Her mind was too busy with planning.

"Tigress! Are you listening?"

"No," Tigress replied honestly. "I think that I will go to bed soon if you don't mind."

Viper agreed. "You look tired."

"Uhm… Can I come in?" There was a knock on the door and Po's voice could be heard.

Tigress looked at Viper that was chuckling a little. "The door is open, Po," the snake said teasingly.

The panda came in with a bowl in his paws. Tigress sighed. "Again?"

Po nodded. "Sorry, but it is the last for today. It's actually pretty funny. You never usually eat my soup and now you are complaining over getting too much."

"Funny," Tigress murmured darkly. When she was handed the soup, she suddenly froze.

"_Don't." _

She immediately dropped her spoon.

"Tigress, are you alright?"

The tiger didn't answer her friends. This must be the one. Chiao Lo much have sprinkled the herb in this soup. The voice was warning her about it.

Tigress jumped up from the bed, spilling the soup on the floor. Her friends walked back some steps because of the shock. "Tigress! What are you doing?"

"Shhh! Can't you hear that?" Tigress stood still, ears listening. Po and Viper started to do the same.

"I can't hear anything. Wait, now there is something! It sounds like… footsteps?" Po said confused. The door sprang up, revealing the rest of the Furious Five, Shifu and Chiao Lo.

"What's going on here? Why isn't Tigress in her bed?" The red panda glared at the students, demanding an answer.

Tigress bowed to him. "My apologies for disturbing you. I thought I heard something and I accidently spilled my dinner." She glanced at the floor where there now was a puddle of what had been her soup.

When she looked up again, she saw Chiao Lo's face. It was like it was made of stone, but his eyes were burning. Tigress couldn't help but feeling satisfied.

_Tigress one, Chiao Lo zero. _

* * *

><p>It was over two hours since Tigress accident with the soup and only two persons were awake. But both of them thought they were the only one.<p>

Chiao Lo was sitting outside, checking his arrows. They were all perfect, ready to be shot at an enemy. Like Tigress.

How he hated that tiger. Why couldn't she just eat that stupid soup? But no, she accidently destroyed his plan. The leopard snorted. Of course it hadn't been an accident. The question was just how she had done it. The tiger had way too much luck. But he was going to make an end of that.

When his ears caught a sound, he pushed himself deeper into the shadow. Who was up that late?

Chiao Lo only needed to see the silhouette of the person. The tiger just always made problems. Or maybe it was the chance he needed to destroy her. That stupid tiger. Trying to find her wolf-friend again?

He swung his quiver filled with arrows over his shoulder and took his bow in his paw. As the tiger leaped into the forest, he followed her quietly.


	22. Nothing I've Ever Known

A/N: And here I am! With a chapter! Surprise…

I don't own Kung Fu Panda. Of course I don't! It's a silly thought! You didn't believe that I owned it, did you? Nah….

I will recommend you to hear Bryan Adam's song "Nothing I've ever known". As you can see, this chapter is inspired of it.

Sorry for the late update but I have been busy with school.

This chapter has been rewritten.

**Friends Forever, Nothing I've Ever Known **

It was kind of a nightmare. You know, when someone is following you and you are running as fast as you can to get away, but somehow you can always sense that there is someone just behind you?

For Tigress it was happening. It just wasn't a dream. It was real; the monster was following her right now. She didn't look back, but she knew who it was.

First she had thought that it was one of those shadows she was seeing. But then it had hit her; mysterious shadows didn't make noise. Not that it was obviously that someone was following her. But Tigress had good ears, and when she first was suspicious, she only listened more.

Tigress hadn't look back to see who the pursuer was. There was only one person who would follow her this time at the night. Chiao Lo.

She was angry. No, she was more than that, she was furious. Tigress had been so sure about that her plan would work. She had been sure that everyone was sleeping. Why hadn't she seen him? How could she have let this happen?

This was a bad situation. She couldn't stop without having to fight the leopard and she couldn't continue to run. If she did, she would lead him to Win or finally pass out from exhaustion. But there has to be a way out of this.

Time that felt like hours passed, Tigress could feel how her heart beat faster. Was it because of the running or was it the fear from getting caught? The tiger didn't know, but she didn't really care. She just had to keep on running, no resting now.

Her legs started to burn and she was gasping after air. Tigress' speed started to become slower and she could feel that Chiao Lo was getting closer to her. What could she do now? Her injuries were still troubling her and her broken ribs didn't make it easier to catch her breath.

Suddenly, she turned around, ready to face her enemy. Both felines stopped, glaring furiously at each other. Tigress growled, while taking her battle stance. It was all his fault! And now he was going to pay!

Tigress leaped forward, trying to punch the leopard in his stomach. But Chiao Lo quickly grabbed her arm and sent her flying into a tree. Tigress winched from the pain; she hadn't still fully recovered from her last fight.

It was only because of her twenty years of training that she managed to move away before the arrow hit her. It dug into the tree. Tigress stared at it, then back to its owner. Chiao Lo was already making a new arrow ready. Again, Tigress had to move to save her life.

She realized that she couldn't win over him. He was a powerful master with a weapon, and she was an injured tiger. She looked up to meet his eyes.

He laughed darkly. "Run."

Without any other options, Tigress did as he said. Dropping on all four again, she ran further into the woods. She could hear the noises when the arrows hit the trees, but herself was still untouched by them.

Tigress hated to admit it, but she was scared. This was just like a nightmare. She had been so close to death lately. She had been lucky enough to escape the death by Mang's claws, she had managed to avoid to get poisoned by the Dragon-Tear and now she was running for her life.

She had always known that being a Kung Fu master was dangerous. One mistake in a battle and she could lose her life. But losing her life to protect the ones she cared about was better than this. Than dying by a master that no one would suspect. Her best friends would be blamed and the truth would die with her.

Tigress just wished to see Win again. She couldn't leave without saying goodbye to him. He was always there for her, and even when there were mad at each other, she couldn't stop thinking about him.

Win had saved her. Not only by the time with Yee Tui, but by being her friend. If she hadn't met him…

Viper, Mantis, Crane and Monkey was her friends. Just in another way. She had lived with them, she trained with them and she fought with them. But now she was alone.

She didn't like being alone now. She just wanted to be happy and safe. Was that too much to wish for? But she was a warrior so she had to be strong.

Po. The panda that had stolen the title that she had thought belonged to her. But he had proved that he was the Dragon Warrior. She wasn't so angry at him anymore. It had just been hard accept the fact that she hadn't been the chosen one.

Tigress felt like Po understood her in a way. He had so quickly realized why she had run away. He had tried to comfort her and he had forgiven her for all the ugly things she had said to him. The panda had been a friend to her, even when she hadn't been acting like a friend to him. But she tried to be nicer against him, she had really tried.

One more arrow flew above her head, just missing by some inches. Tigress knew that she couldn't continue this much longer. She needed a plan. And fast!

Finally, as an answer to her prayers, she saw her chance. She was now running near some cliffs and as she turned around a corner she spotted a crack in the cliff. Praying that her plan would work, she pushed herself into it. There wasn't much space, the sharp stone cut her as she squeezed herself further into it, and her ribs protested painfully.

But Tigress fought against the cliff until she couldn't move any more forward. She somehow managed to turn around, just to see how Chiao Lo ran by. As she had hoped, he hadn't see how she had hid herself and had continued running, thinking that she was in front of him.

Minutes passed by, before Tigress finally made her way out. It took time, but she didn't want to hurt herself even more than she already was. With a final push, she came out of the tiny crack. She glanced at her body; she was bleeding several places where the rocks had cut her, but it didn't really hurt.

At least she didn't have a crazy leopard to follow her now. Tigress wished that she could rest, but she knew that she had to leave now. It wouldn't take that long before Chiao Lo figured out that she had tricked him and then he would try to find her again.

Tigress started to run the opposite way that he had taken. Now her training with Shifu paid off. All those run around the Jade Palace had helped her legs to get stronger. But still, this was pushing her to the edge. When she finally felt that it was safe, she slow down her speed.

She looked around, trying to figure out where she was. She hasn't seen Yee Tui yet, which was a bad sign, because now she was completely lost. If she just had passed the river, she could maybe have known how far away she was from the Jade Palace.

She punched the ground in despair. Why did this happen to her? Tigress lay down, her back on the ground. The tiger stared empty into the sky with her golden eyes. She didn't know what to do now. She was tired, scared and now completely lost.

If Chiao Lo found her now… She wouldn't have a chance.

But she just felt so alone. She had run away from the Jade Palace (again), Chiao Lo was trying to kill her and now she didn't know how to find her best friend.

* * *

><p>… <em>Tigress was sitting alone in a tree. It was the easiest way to get some peace. After the other students arrived, she hadn't been able to relax. She had never been good with making new friends. She had Win and for that she was grateful. <em>

_It was only a week since Viper, Mantis, Monkey and Crane had begun their training in the Jade Palace. They were all skilled_, _and Tigress had done her best to impress them. Or maybe to show them that they shouldn't mess with her. _

_Tigress knew that she hadn't been friendly. She hadn't really talked with the new students, but she had often sneered at them. It was just… It had hurt so much when she had left Win. She wouldn't feel that feeling again. Then rather being alone. _

_She was strong enough to do that. She could handle herself. _

_Her sensitive ears caught the sound of voices. And sure enough, she could soon spot the other students on their way to the sleeping barracks. _

"_I'm tired! Today's training was exhausting!" Monkey exclaimed to the others. They had clearly not discovered Tigress in the tree. She looked down at them, trying to hear what they were saying. _

"_Well, I think that it was funny. It is nice to practice Kung Fu," Viper told them. "It's even better than practicing with my ribbons!" _

_The others nodded in agreement; they all enjoyed being students at the Jade Palace. Master Shifu was strict, but he taught them what they wanted; Kung Fu. _

_Suddenly Crane spoke. "Do you think that she is in there?" he asked, pointing at the palace with his wing. Tigress held her breath. She knew who they were talking about; her. _

"_She's is probably in the training hall. I am guessing that she had destroyed the half of it by now," Mantis said. _

"_I feel sorry for her. It doesn't seem like she have any friends," Viper told them, thinking about the tiger. _

"_But does she have to destroy everything just because she is feeling lonely? It's is not like she is special friendly either," Monkey pointed out. _

_Viper stopped shortly, and then sighed. "Listen guys. We don't now Tigress very well and Master Oogway says that she have been through a tough time. Maybe she is just a little shy…" _

_Before Tigress even knew what she was doing, she jumped down from the tree, revealing herself. The other students gasped in surprise as they realized that the person they had talked about had heard every single word they had said. _

"_Uhm… Hi, Tigress," Mantis said. "We were just… Uhm…" He glanced at the others to get support, but Tigress cut them off before they could say anything. _

"_I know what you were doing." _

"_Tigress, we were just…" Viper tried to talk with the tiger, but the next thing Tigress said shocked them all. _

"_Do you want to play?" Tigress could have been her tongue off. Why was she asking them anyway? It was not like they could understand. They were not Win. _

_She started to leave, tired of the silence. Of course they wouldn't play. After all, who would play with a monster like her? She remembered the many times in the orphanage, where all her questions had been answered with fear. _

"_Tigress, wait!" The others finally reached her, though Tigress didn't slow down her speed at all. She continued walking while Viper talked. _

"_What do you want to play?" she asked softly. _

_Tigress froze, then slowly turned around. She looked them all in the eyes. Were they making some cruel joke with her? They looked a little surprised, maybe even confused, but they didn't look like there were tricking her. _

"_You want to play with me?" she asked them again, this time unable to believe that they seemed like they wanted. _

_Viper nodded again. "What do you want to play?" she repeated. _

"_Dominoes. I have them in my room," she quickly responded. Even though, Master Shifu had stopped playing with her after she became a student of the Jade Palace, Tigress had still kept the dominoes. They were something special to her. _

"_Sounds funny, Tigress." Crane gave her a comforting smile. The tiger was unsure of how to reply it. But when the others started to walk to her room, she followed. _

_That night the students was having fun, even Tigress smiled a little. But every time she saw her new friends' happy faces, she remembered a certain black wolf… _

* * *

><p>Tigress stared into the dark sky. The moon was shining down on her. Her breath was looking like smoke in the cold night.<p>

As she continued looking up, she suddenly saw a flash. Tigress didn't do anything; she had experienced too many weird things to make this something special. It didn't seem like those things were out to hurt her, maybe except the red eyes, but she hadn't seem that in a while now. And the voices only she could hear…

The shadows and the voices must have something to do with each other. Tigress was sure of that. The voice that had saved her life… It had told her when Chiao Lo had tried to kill her. It had helped her…

Sighing deeply, she tried her idea. "Uhm… Well, first I should say thanks for saving me back there. So thank you, whatever you are. I don't even know what I am doing any more. Maybe I am just crazy. Actually, talking with myself is kind of crazy."

She murmured the last part, before sighing again. What was she even doing? But when she thought about it; talking into the air or continue running until she got caught were both crazy ideas. Well, she had started this, so she could just as well finish it.

"I will just make myself clear now. I need help and I think that you could… I need to find Win without getting caught by Chiao Lo, but I am lost right now. So if you could, I don't know, lead me to him, it will be _wonderful_."

Tigress almost sneered at the last word. When was the last time that everything had been wonderful? She let out a dark chuckle. She had to go on now. She had to run again and if she was lucky she could…

"_Follow." _

The tiger froze. This couldn't be happening, could it? But sure enough, if she looked closely with her golden eyes, she could see something sort of… In the dark night it was hard to tell what it was. Tigress was sure about that if Po had been here, he would have been screaming 'Ghost!'

But Tigress didn't scream, she just followed it with her eyes. When she looked closer, she could tell that it was some sort of a white light. But before she could react, it flew away in a speed that made Tigress blink.

"You got to be kidding me," she murmured darkly, before running after the light as fast as she could. Sometimes the light was out of her sight, but then a gently voice jut told her what to do.

"_Left." _

"_Continue forward." _

"_You are there soon." _

"_Go right." _

"_Keep following." _

Tigress just did as she was told. What else could she do? She was running so fast now, that it was hard to avoid the many trees. But surprisingly enough, she didn't felt tired. It was like she was too concentrated on the little light to even notice her feelings.

But suddenly, she had to stop. In front of her was the edge of a cliff. Tigress had to bury her claws into the ground to stop herself from falling over the edge. But thankfully, she made it.

"Thanks for the warning," she murmured sarcastically. The tiger was breathing heavily, looking down from the cliff. The light was standing in the middle of the bottom. She glanced at her surroundings. If she was carefully, she could make her way by the rocky path that was from the top to the bottom of the cliff.

"_Follow!"_ The voice sounded irritated by her hesitating. Tigress immediately started to climb, not wanting the voice to push her if she stayed up there. The climbing took time, but she didn't fall.

When she finally felt the earth under her feet, the light suddenly disappeared. Tigress ran to the place where it had been, but there was no sign of it any more.

"What in the world was that?"

She turned around to find Win standing in between some trees. His green eyes were big; it was obviously that he had seen the weird light. Tigress was relieved; at least she wasn't the only one that could see it.

Then, before she even knew, Win kissed her. Tigress was stunned, but she didn't pull away. She kissed back. It just seemed right; like it was meant to happen. And then suddenly it was gone.

Win was standing some meters away from her, fear in his face. "Win?" she asked quietly.

The wolf shook his head. "I am sorry, Tigress. I didn't…"

"No, you don't have to…" Why was he sorry? It had felt good, but maybe he hadn't like it. Tigress tried to make him understand, but he cut her off.

"Let's just pretend that it didn't happen. So are you okay? I saw your friends carrying you away and…"

Tigress was stunned. How could he just pretend? How could he just change the subject?

"Win, please."

"You don't understand, Tigress. What happened before was wrong and it was my fault. It shouldn't have happened." His voice was bitter.

"Why?" Tigress felt like she was about to cry. She hadn't run all the way just to see her best friend behave like this.

"Because I am a wolf!" he barked at her. "An outcast! Someone who have to hide!"

"And I am a tiger! A master that has ran away from her own master three times now! A weakling that have been lying to her friends as long as she know!" She stopped yelling, and took a breath. She continued with a softer voice. "I don't care that you are a wolf, Win. I don't care that you have been banished. I don't care, because you are my best friend, Win."

He finally met her eyes. Then he walked over and hugged her. Tigress didn't protest, but let herself sink into his strong arms. They were like that in long time.

"Win?" It suddenly sounded from his arms. "Have you ever tried to hear voices inside of your head?"

The wolf froze at the question. He remembered the voice that had told him that he loved her. He smiled a little. "Yes, I have. And you know what? It was right."

"I see that you two are happy to see each other again," a voice said.

The tiger and the wolf quickly let go of each other, to see Huei Woo, Heuen and Hsueh coming out of the forest. Tigress smiled back and started to run towards them. Win stood back, looking at his happy friend. He just enjoyed seeing how she could smile by the sight of his parents.

But on the top of the cliff, some cold eyes were watching them. The leopard slowly made his arrow ready. They hadn't even seen him yet. But he had seen it all.

He wondered what Shifu would say if he knew that his student was kissing wolves. He smiled at the thought. He spotted Huei Woo. A monster that deserved to be killed. But he could only shoot one arrow, before they would notice him. And Huei Woo wasn't the most important to kill.

His eyes locked on the tiger running figure. The arrow was ready. He could be the one to save China. The tiger was a threat to them all. It was his duty to kill her before she could destroy China.

Chiao Lo let go and the arrow flew towards its target.


	23. Strong Enough

A/N: Should I be nervous about that I yesterday called my friend 'Tigress'? Or that also accidently called the dog that I am looking after 'Tigress'? My mind is like only fanfics!

Muhahaha! Did I leave you with a cliffhanger? Poor you! I am so evil….

WrittenOnTheSubwayWalls: I absolutely love all of Spirit: SOTC songs! Bryan Adams did an amazing job! Glad you liked the song too!

Just to make the disclaimer more excited: nahh… I don't have the powers to do that. But I have to tell you that I don't own Kung Fu Panda.

This chapter has been rewritten.

**Friends Forever, Strong Enough **

Win froze as he saw Tigress fall to the ground. His green eyes focused on the arrow that had buried into the tiger's shoulder. His mouth opened to yell something, but no words came out. All he could do was to see his friend being caught by Heuen's arms.

Tigress was in shock. She hadn't sensed the arrow coming, and had only managed to turn around a little, to make the damage less serious. But still, the arrow had hit her and she had gasped in pain before she could feel her knees give under beneath her.

Heuen, Hsueh and Huei Woo were by her side in a second. Win couldn't move a muscle, his mind had gone black. When he was finally able to think again, he moved his head toward the place where the arrow had come from. A leopard was standing on the top of the cliff with a bow in his paw. Win could feel a growl take place in his throat by the sight of Chiao Lo.

In a short moment Win stared directly into the leopard's cold eyes. Then Chiao Lo walked back to fled into the forest. Win turned towards his parents that were busy with helping the injured Tigress. Huei Woo saw him and pointed towards the place where Chiao Lo had disappeared with a bloody paw. Tigress' blood…

"After him! Don't let him get away!" he barked at his student. Win hesitated before following his master's orders. Giving his friend a last glance, he jumped towards the cliff. He buried his claw into the rock, and quickly climbed to the top. His muscles were aching and he had a big chance of falling down, but Win didn't care. This time the leopard shouldn't get away.

He ran as fast as he could on all fours. His vision was only focused on the things in front of him. He promised himself that he would catch up with the leopard and then he would kill him. Chiao Lo didn't deserve to live. He had destroyed too many lives.

The sun was starting to rise from the ground, its light weak in the winter's air. Win was now panting, but he still didn't slow down. He was there soon. He could hear the leopard's steps when he ran. Just a little further…

Win imagined racing with Tigress, a race he had won. He had always known that he was fast and he had always trained to become faster. The tiger was running beside him, giving him a challenging look, before speeding up. Win did the same; he was not letting her win, even if she only was something he imagined.

And as expected, he could soon see the running form of Chiao Lo. Win would soon get his revenge. He could have howled after help; the wolf camp was lying nearby the place where Tigress had been hit. But he would do this by himself. The leopard had just gone too far this time. He had hurt Tigress and he was not getting away with that. Not if Win had something to say.

What if… What if Tigress didn't survive? What if she already was dead now? What if he wasn't going to see her again? Win feelings was something between sorrow and anger. Tigress couldn't die now, not before he had gotten to chance to tell her… But if what Huei Woo had told him about the prophecy was true, then…

Focus, Win, focus! The leopard was so close now, just… Chiao Lo suddenly stopped and send an arrow towards Win. The wolf managed to avoid it, and jumped closer to the enemy, making sure that he couldn't get away.

Chiao Lo laughed, but for Win it sounded like a growl. "Brave enough to come after me, wolf?"

"You!"

"Me? Is something bothering you, wolf? Are you mad because I killed your girlfriend?" the leopard mocked.

Win was nearly shaking of anger. "She is not dead! You are not strong enough to kill her, and you know it!"

Chiao Lo widened his cold eyes. "You know about the prophecy? Huei Woo must have told you. He can never keep his ears by himself. But as you can see, uhm… I don't think I got the name."

"Win," the wolf sneered. He had a hard time with controlling himself right now.

Nodding slowly, the leopard gave him a cruel smile. "Win… Not exactly a name that fits you, if you want to hear my opinion. You don't really win this game. You are a banished fool, your girlfriend is dead and soon you will follow her along with your parents and that weak master of yours."

"She is not dead and neither am I!" Win leaped forward, causing Chiao Lo to move to the left. His paw was making an arrow ready; he had done it so many times now, that he didn't even had to look. Win avoided it again, and jump on the opponent that didn't had the time to move away.

They were biting, punching and kicking. Soon their fur was red of blood, but none of them cared. All they could think about was destroying each other. Win was surprised of how strong he actually was. He hadn't been in a real fight in long time, but his training told him what to do now. Tough, he had to admit that Chiao Lo wasn't a weak enemy. Not that he had expected it.

But when Win finally noticed his surroundings, he tried to stop the fight. But the leopard continued to attack and he had to defense himself. They crashed directly into some travelers' little camp. The two fighters smashed into a tent and the fabric was soon blurring their vision. Win managed to get free, just in the second before everything was in fire.

Chiao Lo had gotten out first and was now standing with a branch in fire, lit by the campfire. He had his bow on his back, using the fire as his new weapon. And it worked.

Soon the bushes and the trees around them were covered in orange flames. The air was full of smoke and Win had trouble with breathing. He squinted, trying to spot the enemy. But he didn't have the chance to move, before the leopard had forced him to the ground. Standing over him, a foot on his chest, the leopard started to smile.

"Do you still doubt my strength? I can kill you right now!" He stepped a little harder, making the wolf under his foot squirm.

"But… But I am not her. I do not have the power," Win gasped out, his green eyes locked into Chiao Lo's.

"True enough. But do you realize, wolf, that if she really is the bearer of that power, she will destroy you along with the rest of China."

Win widened his eyes. "She wouldn't! You don't know her at all!"

"She can't stop it because she has no control of it. Tell me, Win, have your master even told you about the prophecy? It sounds like you don't even know the half of it."

"She…" Win didn't get the chance to finish his sentence, before his eyes spot a falling log. If it continued to fall, it would hit them. Chiao Lo hear the wood crack under the pressure of the fire. He jumped away and the tree just missed his spotted head. Win was still lying on the ground, but rolled away just as the burning log smashed into the ground. The wolf glanced at the fire with big eyes, imagining what would had happened if he had been a second slower.

Chiao Lo saw how the wolf was distracted and leaped at him. But Win spotted him and scraped up a handful of embers. He quickly threw it directly into the leopard's eyes, causing him to groan in agony. Win took the opportunity and swept his legs away, while the opponent was blinded. Chiao Lo fall to the ground, but managed to dodge Win's next attack.

Clawing the wolf's arm, only to get kicked in the stomach, Chiao Lo flew backwards. His claws dug into the ground as a try to stop rolling. But then he felt it. The pain.

The leopard had been send directly into the fire that had been eating bushes and trees. The leopard tried with his paw to hold around the places where the fire had started attacking his fur and skin. The pain didn't help his temper; he was promising to kill the wolf the most painfully way when he was out of the fire again. But he didn't get out.

Win watched as the tree nearby tree crashed to the place where the leopard was fighting against the fire. Chiao Lo didn't have a chance; the high flames were already surrounding him and he couldn't escape the log. He glanced up in the last second only to see the thing that would bring him his death.

But in that second he had a hope. He had killed the threat. He had saved China. He was a hero. He was stronger than death.

"Immortal." That was the last words that came over his lips, before the log hit him and the fire absorbed him.

Win felt his stomach twist by the sound of the leopard's painful roar. It was him that had kicked him into the flames. It was his fault that Chiao Lo now was dead. He had killed him… But wasn't that what he had wanted? Now the wolves had getting their revenge. Tigress…

The wolf slowly sank to his knees. He was a murder. He had taken a life. Maybe Chiao Lo deserved it, but…

"Help!"

"Be quiet! What if he hears us? We got to get out of here!"

Win turned his head to see the two travelers which camp had been destroyed. They started to back away when they saw that the wolf was looking at them. Their eyes were wide of fear.

Pulling himself together, Win slowly got up. He leaped out of the burning camp, ignoring the pain in his tired body. But he had to get out of there. The masters of the Jade Palace would soon hear about the fire and then they would be here. Tigress…

Win believed with all his heart that she was alive. Tigress just wasn't a person that could die. He had promised to protect her and yet, he had seen her broken ribs and wounds. And now the arrow…

He couldn't protect her. He just wasn't strong enough. There were too many dangers. And if the prophecy was right, she would be in grave danger soon. And he couldn't protect Tigress from herself. Huei Woo had told him what to do. It would be hard, but if it could help her…

Win started his way back to his parents, Huei Woo and Tigress.

* * *

><p><em>At the first sight Tigress knew it wasn't a dream. The light that had led her to Win was in front of her, shining like never before. Tigress had to look at the ground to protect her eyes. <em>

"_Tigress?" _

_The tiger squinted and looked up a little. The warm voice came from the light. _

"_Who are you? Answer me!" she demanded, trying to ignore the fact that she wasn't talking with a person. _

"_Don't you recognize me? At least me voice?" _

"_You are the one who talks with me inside my head. You are the one who saved me from Chiao Lo… Why am I here?" she asked again. Tigress looked around. There was only darkness to see, except for the light she had talked with. _

"_To get the answers." _

_That sounded good. Tigress had a lot of questions. "Where is Win?" _

"_On the way back to you." _

"_Chiao Lo?" _

"_Dead. Killed by Win." _

_Tigress took a deep breath. It was hard to believe that the leopard finally was dead, even harder to think that it was Win that had been his murderer. But inside her heart, she knew the light only spoke the truth. _

"_Who… What are you?" _

"_A part of your powers." _

_Tigress blinked by the answer. She was silent in long time, but the light waited patiently for her to say something. _

"_It's about the prophecy, isn't it?" _

"_Yes." Tigress was started to get tired of the short answers. Sighing, she asked again. _

"_Can you please tell me about the prophecy?" _

"_Only few know it, and only one knows the whole prophecy." _

"_But who knows about it? Do you?" _

"_Your Master Shifu is aware of it along with Chiao Lo. Huei Woo knows and now he has told Win." _

_Tigress was having a fight with her temper. "Can you reveal the prophecy to me?" _

"_Yes. It is said, that a powerful warrior, a tigress, should be the bearer of the strongest power ever seen." _

_The tiger remembered when she had listened to her master and Chiao Lo. "But there is more than that. I know; I heard Master Shifu and Chiao Lo." _

"_The power is stronger than the bearer. It can't be control, because a part of the power is dark. The warrior will be powerful enough to destroy China." _

"_I am the bearer, aren't I?" _

_For the first time, Tigress was met with silence. "Aren't I?" she repeated again, this time with more anger in her voice. _

"_Yes." _

_Tigress resisted the urge to cry. It was just… She wouldn't do such things! "How… How can I make sure that the power won't take the control?" _

"_By the teaching of your master." _

_Again Tigress blinked. "Master Shifu? But he…" _

"_Not that master." _

_Silence. Tigress couldn't find the words. She finally pulled herself together. She needed to know more. "Then who?" _

"_You will see when the time comes." _

"_When? When is the time? I need to know!" _

"_When the time is right, you will know." _

_Tigress had to take in some deep breaths. "Can you at least tell me what I shall do now?" _

* * *

><p>When Win finally reached his parents, he was exhausted. Dry blood was nearly everywhere in his black fur. He had many scratches and wounds, some made by the fire he had escaped. No wonder why his parents were shocked when they saw him.<p>

"Win! Are you okay?" Hsueh pulled him into a hug. He smiled down in his mother's white fur.

"I am fine, Mom. How's… How's Tigress?"

Heuen walked over to his son. "We have bandaged her wound and she should be fine. She just woke up some minutes ago. She is talking with Huei Woo right now."

"Where are they? I need to talk with her." Win's ear caught the weak sound of voices. He turned towards the sound, but was stopped by his father.

"You will not disturb them. It's an important talk, and if Tigress wants to tell you about it, then she will tell you later. Now, let us clean your wounds."

Win found himself being dragged over to a lock, where his mother firmly made him sit down. He didn't really notice his parents touching his wounds, just stared empty into the forest. Tigress was alive, but still he didn't felt calm.

"…_If she really is the bearer of that power, she will destroy you along with the rest of China…" _

Now when Win had heard the prophecy, he was torn. He trusted Tigress with his life, but if the power was dark… He couldn't protect her from that.

"He is dead, isn't he?" Win was pulled out of his thoughts by his father's voice. The black wolf couldn't answer, the words was stuck in his throat. But Heuen understood his silence.

"Don't regret. One of us had to do it."

"I just don't want to be a murderer."

"Son, listen. Chiao Lo wouldn't rest until Tigress lie dead in front of his feet. You protected her." Heuen laid his paw on Win's knee. The black wolf flinched by the pain.

"Oh, sorry."

Suddenly, Win saw Huei Woo walking towards them. He immediately stood up, making Hsueh dropping the bandages.

"Can't you just sit still for a second?" she scolded her child.

But Win ignored her, causing her to sigh. He turned to their leader. "Can I see Tigress now?"

Huei Woo smiled weakly by the young wolf's eager. "She wants to talk with you. But first I have some questions."

Now it was Win's turn to sigh. "Chiao Lo is dead. I… I kicked him into the fire and then the tree fall…"

"Fire?"

"We kind of destroyed a camp. But Huei Woo, the travelers saw me kill him. They have probably already brought the news to the Jade Palace now. Shall we have to fight?"

Huei Woo looked directly into Win's green eyes. "No. Now when Chiao Lo is dead, I cannot see a reason to attack."

"But what about proving our innocence?"

"When the masters hear about Chiao Lo's death, we won't have a chance to talk. We will have to wait."

The words made Win angry. "Wait? Wait on what?" He barked.

Huei Woo gave him a smile full of knowledge. "We will have to wait to the time is right. Hsueh and Heuen, can you help me with getting the others ready to leave? And Win, go talk to her, but remember what you have to do."

With that, the others left Win alone. The black wolf stared at the sky that wasn't dark any more. But it was like he couldn't feel the light. With heavy steps, he walked towards the place where Tigress was recovering.

The tiger was expecting him; she had heard the sound of footsteps. She smiled to him; she was happy to see him. But still, the smile didn't reach her eyes. They both knew what would happen.

Win looked her over. A blanket was covering her, but he could see the bandage that was covering her shoulder. Though, he couldn't see them, but he knew about the broken ribs. And then there were the wounds… Her face looked tired, also her golden eyes.

"You look awful," he said honestly, sitting down next to her.

"Well, thank you. How you looked at yourself." She tried to make a joke, but she meant the last part. She carefully touched one of his scratches.

Win shrugged. "Fights aren't pretty. But at least I won."

"I know."

He stared surprised at her. He just told Huei Woo, who could have… "How?"

Tigress made a weak chuckle and stared into the sky. "You know I talked about hearing voices?" She turned her head to see him nod. "Well, I have been hearing them a lot. I have seen things that other can see…" She shivered by the memory of the red eyes.

"Not of all of them were good. But one of them has saved my life twice now. Win, when I passed out after you went after Chiao Lo, I got some sort of a vision. The light you saw, it was there. And it talked. It told me, that you knew about the prophecy, so you already know much. But now I finally heard it. I am the bearer, Win, and it's me who has the power."

"Tigress, you can handle it. I know you won't hurt anyone." Tigress weakly smiled by his comfort.

"Thank you, Win. But I know that there is the chance that I am not strong enough. The light told me how to be prepared. Win, I can't stay with you."

The air was filled with silence. Tigress held her breath, while looking at Win with begging eyes.

After some time, Win finally spoke. "I know."

"How..."

"Do you think that we'll just leave you alone with this? We will help you through this, Tigress, even if it means that I'll have to give you back to the Jade Palace," he told her, pain in his eyes. He laid his arm around her, holding her close.

They looked at the sky again. "The world is crazy," Tigress suddenly told him.

Win chuckled. "Really?"

"It's not going to be forever, you know. The light told me that. It said that we'll see each other again. I just need to start this alone."

"When are you done with starting it?"

"I don't know. It just told me that I should wait for the right time."

"I hate that sentence." Win growled a little.

Tigress smiled to him. "Me too, but I have to listen. If not, then I don't know what to do. Win, what happened back there, before Chiao Lo so roughly disturbed us? I don't regret it."

"Neither do I. I am sorry for what I said."

"Don't be. I understand what you felt. Win, if I was free enough to do it, I would leave with you right now."

Win blinked. "You mean you would leave Shifu and the others?"

She nodded. "I would probably regret it later, but… Why did you first tell me now, Win? Why didn't you show your feelings to me sooner?"

"Because I knew it couldn't happen. I knew that you had to stay in the Jade Palace. Don't ask me how; I just knew it. But I can tell you, that if it was possible for you to stay with me, I would have told you it for long time ago."

Tigress thought about his word for a minute. "It's time for me to go," she said softly.

The two rose from their positions, Tigress with help from Win. When they were up, they hugged each other. Tigress hated it, but she had to cry in his black fur. "I never get used to say goodbye."

"Who does? Shall I get my parents?"

"No, I don't have enough time. I don't want the others to find you."

"We are moving again. How will you be able to find us?" the wolf asked her.

Tigress looked up. "I don't know, but I am sure that I can get some help. Please say goodbye to your parents for me, Win. And to Huei Woo."

"I will." They finally let go. Tigress quickly brushed her tears away. "Well, good… I'll see you later, Win," she said with a slight smile.

Win grinned back. "I'll see you later, Tigress."

He watched as she turned to leave. Not one second his eyes were focused on something else than her, until he finally couldn't see her anymore. Why was it always like this? Why did they always have to leave each other?

"It's not fair!" He smashed his paw into a nearby tree. When he was calm again, he walked back to the other wolves, getting ready to leave the Valley of Peace as quick as possible.

* * *

><p>Tigress tried to hold back her tears. Her body was in pain and the same with her heart.<p>

"_Only to the time is right." _

The tiger growled. "I actually want to be alone right now, so please be quiet."

It was first when she heard the voices that she realized that she had been walking the right way without even knowing where she was. This time it wasn't the voice inside of her head, it was the voices of her friends from the palace.

And before she could react, she was pulled into a hug by the master she had left.

* * *

><p>AN: I got a lot of things to tell you. First: My keyboard is messed up, so if there is some words where there is missing a letter, pleased ignore it. Second: Kung Fu Panda Legends of Awesomeness just started in Denmark! Yay! Third: It was really hard to make Chiao Lo's death and I've changed it many times, but I hoped it turned out well. Fourth and MOST IMPORTANT: There is only an epilogue back (this chapter was actually meant to be two, but then it would be too short). But there will be a sequel! You will get more information's in the next and final chapter!


	24. Epilogue

A/N: *crying* So… This is the last chapter… Sad on a way… BUT just wait for the sequel! Is going to be AWESOME! I would like to thank all of you who have followed this story and thanks for all the reviews! I am deeply grateful. But here it is; the last of Friends Forever! I will tell you more about the sequel in the end of this chapter.

BlackLal: I granted your wish! I leaved Behind The Golden Eyes ch 9 and made this! But I will continue BTGE before starting the sequel. I hope you will follow Friends Forever to Shadows Of The Past! ;)

Noooooooo… I don't own Kung Fu Panda! It's the last time I am going to say this in this story! *starts crying again*

This chapter has been rewritten.

**Friends Forever, Epilogue **

"Ouch!"

"Sorry, but if you just could sit still…"

"I am sitting still! You are just not gently enough! Ouch!"

"And we are done. Was it really that bad?"

Tigress carefully touched her new bandage. It was a week since her friends had found her in the forest. A week since she had left Win…

She was now lying in her bed, murmured things about Mantis' gentleness. Her friends were using their break from training to visit her in her room. Well, it wasn't exactly her room; there was still not cleaned up after 'the wolves' kidnapping'. Tigress was appreciating her friends' help, without them she wouldn't be here.

Her brain was still bringing her back to the episode only a week ago. The hug from Shifu… Tigress had never thought that he would have done that. But he had. He had pulled her close and she had collapsed by the pain. Her body was just too tired. Po had to carry her back to the Jade Palace (again).

When she had waked up, she had to explain it all. With some trouble, she had made up a good enough lie. She had told them, that she had leaved her room to get some air and Chiao Lo had seen her and taken her out on a walk in the forest. But then the wolves had attacked, and Chiao Lo had started fighting, telling her to run back to the palace. She had disobeyed him, but had ended up with being hit by an arrow.

It was hard to explain the bandages. Huei Woo had told her to keep staying silent with the truth about the wolves. So incredible enough, had Chiao Lo being carrying some bandages (in a case of need) and had found her. After secured her, he had leaped into the fight again, with Tigress too injured to join him. But when she was finally strong enough, she had tried to find him. But those she had found were her friends and master.

Luckily, they had believed her. After she woke up, they had told her that some travelers had called them after their camp had gone into fire when Chiao Lo and a wolf had been fighting. They had seen Chiao Lo die in the flames after the wolf had kicked him into it.

The ceremony was some days ago. Master Shifu had collected what was rest of Chiao Lo and had brought it back to the Jade Palace for the funeral. The ashes had been buried and the warriors had shown the leopard their respect. Tigress hadn't joined; she had still been bound to bed. Not that she had wanted; the leopard had lost her respect long time ago.

They were all thinking that one of the greatest masters had died to protect her. Tigress knew that Chiao Lo had been killed so he couldn't kill her. He had been close many times now.

But here she was. Alive, breathing, together with her friends. But still, one was missing. Win. She felt like she was getting punched in the stomach when she thought about him. Was he safe? How was his injures? Was he feeling just as sad about this whole leaving-thing as she felt?

Win had killed Chiao Lo. Tigress was stilled getting used to the thought. Of course she was happy that her enemy was gone. He had destroyed so many lives and if only Tigress had been strong enough to stop him… But it had been Win. Tigress was starting wondering who was the strongest of them. Her or Win? She must remember to challenge him into a spar next time they were together again.

Next time? And when would that be? A month? A year? Ten years?

But the light had told her that it would be soon. And Tigress prayed that 'soon' actually would be soon. But she would like to heal first. Tigress didn't like Win to see her wounded. She didn't want anyone to see her wounded. But she was alive and she should be grateful.

"Tigress? Tigress, you are dozing off again!"

"Sorry, Viper. I am just a little tired." Tigress blinked a couple of times, before glancing at her friend. The snake looked at her with worried eyes.

"We shouldn't keep you up like this. You need your rest. But you are feeling fine, right?"

Tigress sighed. "For the hundredth time, yes!"

"Hey, it's not our fault that you can't keep yourself out of trouble!" Monkey told her.

"It's not like I am trying to find them…" They all glanced at Tigress with eyes that told her to be quiet. And the tiger actually did it. Maybe she wasn't all right about the troubles…

"Ahem."

All the students turned to see their master, who had entered without them noticed it. They all immediately bowed to him. Tigress winched by the pain. Master Shifu looked her over. It happened every time she tried to bow. But still, she wouldn't do what they told her, about quieting the bowing for a while. She was just too stubborn.

"If you please could go back to the training hall. I need to have a word with Tigress."

Tigress nodded to her friends, who slowly left the room. Master Shifu moved a chair closer to his student's bed.

"I can see that your wounds are healing nicely," the red panda said after some time with silence. They both didn't really know what to say. Tigress opened her mouth, and then closed it again. What could she answer?

"I believe that you soon would be able to get out of bed."

Tigress widened her golden eyes. "When?" She would do anything to get out of bed. A week was way too much for her. She was itching to start training again.

Shifu had to hide a smile by his student's excitement. "We'll see. But I think you could try and take a little walk tonight. But can you please stay out of the forest this time?" He sighed, looking at her with blaming eyes.

Tigress nodded wordlessly. She had to admit that her trips hadn't been the best in the last time. But now when the wolves were gone, she should be safe. But of course she couldn't tell Shifu.

"I…" The master was trying to say something, but the words were hiding from him. Tigress glanced curiously at him.

"We found this when we searched through your room. I… I think that it's yours."

His little paw found hers and in them he lays a little object. When he revealed it, Tigress had no words. Win's stone. Her first gift. A memory of a time she had outgrown. The laughter of two children was filling her ears. Tigress and Win…

Shifu watched as the stunned Tigress examined the stone. He remembered it now. The stone had brought it all back. The memory of the little tiger giving him a gift. A gift that he forgot all about. But when she had been gone, when she had been ripped away, he had found it. He wasn't sure if it was the same stone; the time was helping his memory.

"Thanks." The word is soft, not so used, but true. Her eyes were shining with what he would call happiness. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen that. Shifu gently smiles back, but she doesn't see it; her eyes focused on the gift.

Suddenly her body became stiff, frozen. Her eyes looking up, but not glancing at him. Shifu felt how his student's fear becomes his own. Her golden eyes, those who had been so happy, was now staring at something he couldn't see.

It all happens so fast, that it was over in a second. Tigress body relaxed, her eyes coming back to normal. "Can I try and walk now?" She asked, like nothing had happened.

But Shifu had seen it. And he knew what it meant. His paws grabbed his staff for comfort. He was fighting for not letting his body shiver. The prophecy… He must find a way to stop it. He couldn't let this happen to his student. But how could he go against a prophecy? A destiny?

Tigress noticed her master's face and knows what he is thinking. Also she is scared. The shadow she just saw… The fight against the power wasn't going to be easy. But she would gladly do it if it meant that she wasn't going to lose herself.

Shifu pulled himself together and coughed. "A guess that a try won't hurt." He gave her his staff as a support, but she only needed it to get up. Tigress took a breath before starting to walk. Her legs were stiff, but it didn't hurt. She was glad to finally really get out of the bed.

"I want to go outside." She didn't ask, she just says it. But her master didn't protest. Her walk became more confident and she would have increased her speed if Shifu hadn't stopped her with the wooden staff.

When she finally opened the last door, the cold wind was the first thing to greet her. It blew through her fur, taking the rest of her weakness with it. The sky was dark, but the night came soon when it was winter.

When something cold gently hit her cheek, Tigress glanced up. Snowflakes were falling down from nowhere, secretive and silent. A beautiful sight. It was like stardust. The stars were falling down from the sky to lie in her paw in a short moment before disappearing.

"The first snow." By the voice, Tigress noticed Master Shifu that had been standing beside her. "We better go inside; the last thing you need is a cold."

Tigress had to force her eyes away from the sky. She was spellbound, lost in the stars.

"_Win."_

The wolf was like a snowflake. He had been with her in so short time before melting, disappearing.

"_When the time is right."_

But they would be together again. Tigress knew. She just had to wait. As she turned to leave with her master there was a wonderful sound that only she could hear.

A familiar howl and the laughter of two best friends.

**The End **

* * *

><p>AN: First thanks to all my readers who have followed me through the story. I am grateful and as the theatergirl I am, I will bow to you. *bows*

I know this chapter is short but it's an epilogue! I couldn't make it longer!

And here comes the exciting part; THE SEQUEL!

*The mysterious voice starts*

Times go on, and Tigress continues her life in the Jade Palace without Win. But when her power starts to get stronger, the masters will see how the tiger is about to change. Because it's hard enough to fight something inside of you, but when someone is out to try and kill Tigress she will need help from old friends.

But…

Who is Tigress really?

Will she be strong enough to control her power?

Who is the mysterious person who is after Tigress?

Are Shifu ever going to be a real father for Tigress?

And can Win and Tigress really be friends forever?

Find out soon in "Shadows Of The Past".

*end of mysterious voice*

I hope that got your attention. Shadows Of The Past will be out soon, just after a chapter to Behind The Golden Eyes and when I have made the first chapter to another new story of mine (not a Kung Fu Panda story; but all those who knows Madagascar can try and read it).

Thanks for following Friends Forever.


End file.
